Circular Fashion Initiative

Circular fashion

The City of Fremantle encourages residents to apply circular economy principles over landfill by shopping sustainably, mending, repairing, making do, altering, donating and recycling their clothing.

Planet Ark estimates that every Australian purchases an average of 27 kilograms of new clothing annually, with an average of 23 kilograms sent to landfill. The Australian Fashion Council research found that Australians bought 383,000 tonnes of new clothing in 2018-19. Only 210,000 tonnes of clothing are donated or reused annually, with 7% recycled (National Waste Report p45).

Rather than the familiar cycle of buying, wearing and discarding, circular fashion encourages us to keep clothing in use for as long as possible — repairing, altering, swapping, buying second-hand and re-imagining pieces we already own.

It’s less about buying differently than it is about valuing what we already have, every garment representing valuable materials, skilled craftsmanship and human effort. Extending the life of our clothes is one of the simplest ways to reduce waste while making the most of the resources already in circulation.

The guides below provide information for residents to keep their clothing in circulation for longer.

A Stitch in Time is a free drop-in sewing circle to teach participants how to fix tears, hems and simple alterations. Sewing projects are welcome. Sewing machines and overlockers are available for learning how to use, located in the Fremantle Library, 11am-1.30pm, Fridays until Dec 2026. No bookings are required.

Repair Cafe is a community organisation run by a group of skilled volunteers that offer free repairs. Monthly gatherings are held at Sullivan Hall 2 Nannine Street White Gum Valley.

The Slow Fashion Hub is a community space dedicated to clothing repair, upcycling and sustainable fashion. It is located on Tidal Lane, next to IGA in the FOMO building.

We have a solution to that bag of clothing sitting in your cupboard or car boot for months.

During October, Good Sammy’s provides City of Fremantle residents with a free home collection of quality preloved clothing.

Simply watch out for the Good Sammy’s flyer for further instructions.