Sustainable Textiles
The fashion industry is estimated to be responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions – more than international flights and maritime shipping combined!
Our Sustainable Textiles programme consists of events and competitions to help better connect you to the clothes you wear and understand their impact on the planet.
Addressing textile waste generated by the fashion sector is crucial, given the alarming surge in clothing inundating our landfills. The proliferation of fast fashion has flooded markets with inexpensive trendy attire, resulting in overstuffed closets and yearly spring clearouts. While decluttering feels satisfying, opshops can’t accommodate the magnitude of clothes we donate, with a growing proportion being poor quality and ending up in landfill. So it’s essential to consider the fate of these garments and strategize ways to prevent the issue from arising in the initial stages. Join us as we explore these issues and provide solutions on a personal level with our Sustainable Textiles programme.
Re:Stitched Runway Upcycled Fashion Comp
What is Re:Stitched Runway?
Re:Stitched Runway challenges participants to transform clothing destined for landfill into runway-ready outfits, showcasing creativity, sustainability, and circular fashion. Each designer receives a selection of second-hand garments and a challenge garment to incorporate into their final look. Over one month, they create a fully wearable outfit that is judged on:
- Wearability
- Construction
- Creativity
- Sustainability
The Fashion Show
The participants then send their outfit down the runway for judging, during an evening of sustainable fashion and fun. This show celebrates upcycled, repurposed, and pre-loved clothing to spotlight sustainable alternatives to fast fashion.
Competition Information Pack 2026
For anyone curious to learn more about the competition, you can download the information pack below for full details on how the Re:Stitched Runway Competition works.
Competition Information Pack
Take a look back at previous year’s Re:Stitched Runway
2026 was another great year with 55 excited entrants creating garments for the runway. We had some returning designers and some new faces too, all vying for the chance to wear the Re:Stitched Runway crown. The evening was filled with creativity and inspiration, showcasing what’s possible when we rethink waste. The challenge garment was a branded flag and banner that we saved from landfill and all our contestants had to incorporate it into their outfits!
Check out the photos of the winners below, or click here to see the full album folder of photos on facebook.
2026 Winners:
Open Category
- First place: 35: Tegan Hignett
- Runner up: 12: Jana Heller
- People’s Choice: 35: Tegan Hignett
High School Category
- First place: 11: Zoe Wallis
- Runner up: 1: Breanna Gray
- People’s Choice: 15: Vanessa Yeh, Sophia Lang
2025 Winners:
Open Category
- First place: Rhonda Hewlett
- Runner up: Glen Maclachlan
High School Category
- First place: Zoe Wallis – Katikati College
- Runner up: Quentin Dubois – French Online School
2024 Winners:
Open Category
- First place ($250): Celeste Moffatt
- Runner up ($100): Rhonda Hewlett
High school Category
- First place ($250): Ana Capes – Mount Maunganui College
- Runner up ($100): Zoe Wallis – Katikati College
Sustainable Textiles Series – 2026
From June through July, our Sustainable Textiles programme ran six workshops covering Korean patchwork art, zero waste tee-making, garment upcycling, community textile art, and a Matariki star garland, all before the big fashion show on 25 July.
Bojagi Patchwork Art with Make & Mend
Sun 14 June – $40pp
SOLD OUT!
Zero Waste Oversized Tee with Emroce
Fri 19 June – $20pp
Discover the art of zero-waste fashion and learn how to make your own oversized T-shirt from scratch.
In this hands-on workshop with Emroce designer Emma La Rocca, you’ll explore simple zero-waste pattern-making techniques to design your own oversized tee. This innovative method uses the entire piece of fabric, meaning little to no textile waste. Rather than working from conventional patterns that often leave fabric offcuts behind, this approach respects the creation and use of the fabric in its entirety.
Thrift Flip/With a Twist! with Sew Love
Wed 24 June – $50pp
Come join us for a special evening of creativity and sewing… We’re thrift flipping but with a twist.
What’s the twist? Instead of going out to find something in the op-shop to transform into something new, we are encouraging you to shop the back of your wardrobe instead. YES you have your very own thrift store right under your nose.
Community Textile Art Workshop 1 with LILIA CASS
Sat 4 July – $10 pp
Join textile artist Lilia Cass for a unique collaborative textile art project exploring the creative potential of reclaimed bridal silk. Using off-cuts collected from the Lilia Cass studio, participants will learn a range of fabric manipulation and textile art techniques while creating an individual artwork that will become part of a larger collaborative installation.
Workshop One – Gathered Forms & Machine Manipulation
Fri 10 July – $30pp
In this 2-hour workshop, we’ll celebrate the spirit of Matariki, the Māori New Year, through craft, by creating a set of nine stars using upcycled fabric scraps.
This is a relaxed, hands-on workshop, perfect for both adults OR children (ages 10 and up), offering a gentle way to connect with the season through making.
All sewing machines and materials provided, as well as morning tea snacks and coffee.
Community Textile Art Workshop 2 with LILIA CASS
Sat 18 July
Join textile artist Lilia Cass for a unique collaborative textile art project exploring the creative potential of reclaimed bridal silk. Using off-cuts collected from the Lilia Cass studio, participants will learn a range of fabric manipulation and textile art techniques while creating an individual artwork that will become part of a larger collaborative installation.
Workshop Two – Hand-Stitched Surfaces & Assembly
