Katrina Naish
A Fitting Connection, Creative Community Hub and The Fabric ReStore
Katrina Naish is the founder and director of A Fitting Connection, a certified social enterprise addressing the growing issue of textile waste through education, upcycling, and community-driven initiatives. With over 20 years’ experience in the fashion and textile industry, Katrina brings both expertise and a strong passion for sustainability.
Owen Perry
Hello Tailr
Owen is a seasoned tech founder with a strong background in launching and advising startups across hospitality, AI, healthcare, finance and fashion. As the founder of Hello Tailr, an online clothing repairs and alterations platform, he combines his experience in technology with customer-centric solutions to accelerate the shift toward a circular fashion future.
Yesha Patel
After - Textile Recovery for a Circular Future
Yesha is based in Melbourne, currently working on the start-up, After, at the Fishermans Bend Circular Design Collective, on the ethical disposal of unwanted clothing. Her passion lies in sustainable and circular fashion to ensure we take care of our beautiful environment. She has a B.Com degree from The University of Auckland with an Information Systems and Innovation and Entrepreneurship major. She recently completed her Masters of Entrepreneurship at the University of Melbourne where she won the Best Pitch award.
Candace Maunder
Apawrel
Candace grew up on Yorta Yorta Country in regional Victoria and now lives and works in Naarm (Melbourne) on Wurundjeri Country. She’s a proud Girl Guide leader, a dog mum to two cheeky characters (Storm the Yorkie and Dexter the Poodle-cross), and someone with AuDHD who brings a neuro-spicy lens to everything she does.
She’s passionate about reducing fashion waste, creating accessible products, and being a role model for the next generation. Whether it’s mentoring young people or designing custom dog wear that doesn’t cost the earth, Candace tries to keep things grounded, thoughtful and paw-sitive.
Fiona Ye
Conscious Creations
Fiona is a Banyule local, an early childhood teacher, and mother of two. She is passionate about upcycling, and amongst other things, makes accessories out of small, discarded plastic items which are difficult to recycle and often find their way into our natural environment. This practice she calls, Conscious Creations, and she enjoys sharing these skills and knowledge with others, young and old.
Colectiva Abya Yala
Formed in 2017 in Naarm (Melbourne), Colectiva Abya Yala is a collective of Latin American migrant women working across art and research. Drawing on textile traditions, performance and collaborative practice, the group engages with ecofeminism, memory and migration from a Latin American perspective. Their projects include Weaving Water, a transdisciplinary residency between Mexico and Australia, La Fiesta de la Chakra, a documentary exploring solstice traditions, and several community events supported by the Flourish Art Recovery Grants. They have collaborated with LATIR, Blak Dot Gallery, Yo Soy Collective, Pasifika Storytellers, Make or Break Experiment and Chilean artist Anis.
Banyule Primary School
Sustainability Action Team
Banyule Primary School (BPS) is committed to providing a caring, nurturing environment where children are aware and responsible for contributing to a sustainable future for our planet. Learning about Sustainability is embedded into all areas of the curriculum at BPS from Foundation to Year 6, and they are proudly a "nude food" school. The Sustainability Action Team, facilitated by Sustainability Coordinator, Bree Klein, has been busy this year learning about the importance of biodiversity and planning a new pollinator garden now that all the building on site is complete. Come and chat with them about seed collection and even take home a sample for your own garden to attract those vital pollinators.
Waratah Developmental Special School
Waratah Developmental Special School offers a garden program to students in the middle and senior years. The students' plant, nurture and eventually eat the fruits and vegetables that are grown in the kitchen garden. A lot of the produce is used in Homecrafts classes, where the students pick, wash, cook and then eat their creations, experiencing the whole 'farm to fork' concept. Last year (2024), the school was the fortunate recipient of a ‘Greener North East Community' grant, allowing them to build inclusive raised garden beds (in partnership with Farm Raiser), giving all their students access to gardening activities on the farm. In preparation for The Slow Festival, students have participated in a survey about their favourite fruit and vegetables and then painted designs of their favourite fruits and vegetables from the kitchen garden on calico bags. Come and check out the beautiful results of their hard work!
Trish Peach and NCAT VET Textiles students
Trish Peach teaches the Certificate II in Apparel, Fashion and Textiles at Northern College of the Arts and Technology, bringing a passion for practical, project-based learning to each lesson. For the VET Gala, Trish guided her final-year students in creating Disney-inspired costumes using upcycled fabrics from the sewing room. Each garment showcases the students' technical skills while maintaining a clear connection to their chosen Disney characters. This sustainable approach not only developed their construction techniques but also fostered creativity and environmental consciousness. Trish's hands-on teaching philosophy empowers students to transform concepts into wearable art, preparing them for real-world fashion industry challenges while celebrating their imaginative interpretations of beloved characters.
Rose Chong
Rose Chong Costumiers
Rose Chong is a legendary Melbourne-based costumier, known for her creative costume shop on Gertrude Street which has been operating for over 45 years. She is also a film industry costume maker and, more recently, an artist under the name ARSEY. Upcycling is a huge part of her practice and she loves the challenge of finding new uses for the most bizarre of objects. Chong is celebrated for her unique creations and for using her business to fund artists and small arts organizations through the ArtsPay initiative.
Dr Emily Brayshaw
Honorary Research Fellow at University of Technology Sydney, Faculty of Design
Dr Emily Brayshaw is internationally recognised for her work on the visual culture of fashion and performance costume. She has held her Honorary Fellowship at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) since 2019, where she has strongly contributed to the academic disciplines of critical costume and fashion studies through her research and practice. She was recently lauded by UTS as one of their top experts who reached a total estimated media audience of more than 1 million for her work and commentary in 2023. Emily's inter-disciplinary research examines the past, present, and future of critical fashion and performance costume from the nineteenth-century to the present day. At the same time, Emily contributes to the arts in Sydney, working as a costume designer on critically acclaimed theatrical productions and as the principal viola of the Woollhara Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as knitting quirky gifts for her friends and family.
David Creed
DC Style Fylez
David Creed is a Naarm / Melbourne based artist whose artistic practice combines humour, DIY aesthetics, upcycling and fashion. He hosts the DC Style Fylez, an online video fashion blog where he playfully explores style and responds to viewer dilemmas.
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​During a recent artist residency in Singapore, David designed a customised service outfit and hand stitched over 30 embroidered patches, which he gifted to fellow artists as wearable artworks. The patches drew on local imagery, including flowers, animals and food, and included gestures of goodwill, such as hearts and smiley faces, exploring fashion as an act of generosity and goodwill.
Woolybutt Knitting
After - Textile Recovery for a Circular Future
Woolybutt is Melbourne’s premier wool supplies shop, located in Rosanna, Victoria. With over 50 years of service to the knitting and crocheting community, Woolybutt positions itself as a one-stop destination for all things knitting. The shop offers a wide range of high-quality supplies and personalised services tailored to crafters of all skill levels, from beginners to experts.
Nina Crawley
Oxfam – What She Makes
Oxfam’s What She Makes campaign calls on major fashion brands to pay a living wage to the women who make our clothes. These mostly women workers, in countries like Bangladesh and China, are paid poverty wages despite brands earning huge profits. The campaign exposes exploitation in fashion supply chains and pushes for corporate accountability. A new focus of the campaign is advocating for responsible business laws that require companies to conduct environmental and human rights due diligence—so they prevent harm before it occurs. By linking fair pay, human rights, and sustainability, What She Makes works to create a fairer, more sustainable fashion industry.