DIY Spring Carnival Outfit

DIY Spring Carnival Outfit

It's the worst nightmare of every well-planned race goer, walking into the marquee and seeing someone in that dress. The very same dress you spent weeks searching through the aisles of every major department store and boutique in Melbourne, until you got it, so you thought, right.

With this fear being the number one nightmare of today's racegoer, even surpassing being able to walk in those crazy high-heels, or having one champagne too many there is now an increasing trend to combat this called upcycling.

Upcycling is the process of taking old, out worn or dated pieces of clothing and using the fabric to create something truly unique and off-beat. This can either be done through going through your own wardrobe for pieces of once-loved favourites, or by visiting a local op shop to choose items with interesting fabrics which can be meshed together to create your own personal style and master piece.

Upcycling not only means your recycling clothes, it can save you a fortune too, with the average race goer spending in the hundreds on a Spring Carnival outfit, purchasing pre-loved or items you already have can mean a hefty saving. It is particularly popular with time rich but money poor, trend conscious students, looking to obtain a premium look on a budget.

Melbourne Fashion Institute design student Jess Colman is making hers and her friend Victoria Jancke's outfit for this year's Melbourne Cup completely from recycled items purchased from recycle superstore Savers.

'I always like to stand out in the crowd, and this year wanted to opt for something completely different. No one else knows my taste as well as me, and I wanted an outfit which reflected this and my friend Victoria also wanted in on the fun. You can find some beautiful pieces of fabrics for next to nothing, which being a student is important to me – it can be quite addictive!"

Jess has a design background and appreciates that making an outfit from scratch may not be for everyone.

'I appreciate not everyone is a whizz on the sewing machine and may find creating a full outfit daunting, in this case I would recommend starting off with customising your outfit such as with lace, silk or beads, still adding your style and personal touch without a lot of time or effort."

Jess's top five tips when searching for recycled clothing to upscale are:

Choose a dress as a base, this way if you're not a dress maker you have something to start from
Choose items for their fabric or detail, try to look past what they are
Have an idea in mind, as this will make choosing fabrics a lot easier
Know where some good recycled clothing stores are, I always go to my local Savers and op shop. The more times you visit the easier it is to find things
Be creative! This is your chance to create something very unique with fabrics that you personally love

The textiles, clothing and footwear industry in Australia comprises of approximately 680 firms, with more than 50% concentrated in Victoria. In Australia textile waste accounts for approximately 4 percent of content of our landfills*. As most Australian's are aware landfill space is becoming scarce, increasingly expensive and has negative environmental impacts as depletes valuable resources.

The clothing recycling industry helps reduce landfill, having a positive impact on the environment. Of the textile waste recovered by charities or clothes recycle stores, 60% is items of clothing that can be re-worn or reused and 15% can be torn into industrial cloths, helping reduce the problem.