Circular textile sourcing event returns to Melbourne

March 15, 2022

2240

Melbourne, Australia

RAW TO A T by RawAssembly, is a responsible, regenerative, and circular sourcing event for the fashion and textiles sectors.

Designed to increase awareness of sustainable solutions and to drive forward new collaborations and opportunities for a regenerative future facing the fashion industry in Australia, RAW TO A T, is a responsible, regenerative and circular sourcing event for the fashion and textiles sectors.

The event will be held in Melbourne, Australia from 24th-26th May 2022, and is a specialised, next generation sourcing event, created by RawAssembly, in collaboration with T-Magazine Australia; New York Times Style, and BETA by STH BNK at Hanover House.

“The way textiles, including fashion, are currently produced and consumed across the world, causes significant harm to both people and the planet,” RawAssembly’s Thea Speechley says. “Australia is reported to have the second highest consumption of textiles per capita in the world (second to the United States) yet that consumption is coming at a price. We take and we throw away, dumping over 6000kg of clothing and textiles into our landfill every 10 minutes. We need to urgently change this: textiles are too valuable a resource to be used once and thrown away. We need to create new recipes.”

Challenging the status quo

“RAW TO A T is designed to deliberately challenge the status quo. The organisers RawAssembly, and its collaborating partners, are curating an immersive, innovative and circular design fashion and textile event, designed to stimulate and drive tangible changes to the way fashion is produced and consumed.”

Part conference, part experience, this event, the first of its kind in the Asia Pacific region, brings a diverse range of stakeholders across the ecosystem together to explore how, what and when the fashion industry can transform its current model of production and consumption to a system that better protects people and the planet.

With leading industry speakers, the jammed packed content program will tackle some of the key issues the industry is working hard to resolve today. From New York, London, Europe through to Australia and New Zealand the global panels and presentations will bring discussion, debate and action centre stage.

Opportunity for peer-to-peer learning

Thea Speechley, founder of RawAssembly, who is the organiser of the event, sees this event as providing the opportunity for peer-to-peer learning. “While some in the industry are already shifting their mindsets to a model that is focussed on reaching carbon emission targets at COP 26, others are only just beginning the journey. This event creates the opportunity to craft new relationships, learn from one another and establish new partnerships that help make an impact in the world. The key is that as an industry we now drive action and make significant reductions across the entire industry to be able to meet our 2030 climate goals,” Thea says.

T Magazine says this event will set the tone for the conversation on what fashion can and should be going forward. With over 2000 industry members expected to attend the in-person sessions, T Magazine sees the event as “a unique opportunity to rethink how we use the resources we have efficiently, come together to rescue the impact we are having on our immediate surroundings and on the planet as a whole.”

A figure wears white root dress and wearables demonstrating the versatility of this new material. Designer: Zena Holloway | Model: Faith at Body London. © RawAssembly Melbourne 2022

BETA by STH BNK notes that to change the status quo we need immersive experiential events that showcase solutions and inspire participants to take bold steps to create our future. BETA by STH BNK is an experimental event series created by Beulah International. Its General Manager Commercial & Culture, David Monaghan says: “This is not only an industry sourcing event and public exhibition. It is a campaign designed to share knowledge, inspire leadership, challenge today and drive creative action from industry through to our surrounding businesses and communities.”

Changing the ingredients

Alongside the event, a special exhibition titled ‘Changing the Ingredients; Fashion’s Future Recipe’ will feature some of the latest global textile advancements and next generation materials. Featuring an innovation lab by Infinited Fibre, a denim hub by Orta, fabrics produced from agricultural waste through to an array of plant-based and mycelium next generation materials in a class of their own. Discover Liberty London’s latest collection of luxury fabrics and Mantero’s extraordinarily elegant 100% regenerated RESILK.

Around the World in 80 Fabrics also launch their incredible first-of-its-kind display of indigenous materials, whilst Good Earth Cotton and Fibretrace take us on a fully transparent and traceable journey. RawAssembly’s exhibition will give the Australian fashion and design Industries a taste of what the future of fashion and the new era of luxury will look like.

The exhibition will also open to the general public from 28 – 31st May 2022. Sponsoring partners for the event include Lenzing Luxe, FibreTrace and Good Earth Cotton both of which are leading the way in Australian carbon positive cotton farming and global traceability technology.