Rags to Runway Fashion Show

As part of Melbourne Fashion Week 2017, Kangan Institute is excited and proud to continue its partnership with Australian Red Cross to present Kinship – the Rags to Runway fashion show.

The show has a unique twist – all garments have been created by Kangan Institute fashion students solely using upcycled materials – no new textiles allowed. This is a wholly reimagined, recreated and redesigned festival with clothes from Red Cross Shops.

Celebrity eco-stylist and Red Cross Ambassador Alex van Os is styling the show with 50% of ticket sales being donated to Red Cross. Alex has been an influential spokesperson with her successful Op Shop to Runway concept and is excited about our collaboration:

'Students upcycled garments that couldn't be sold in stores. To be able to give these pieces a second life is an incredible opportunity and it helps show the potential for all of us to reuse and reimagine unloved pieces in some small way.

'The collaboration between an incredible humanitarian organisation; its charity stores with pre-loved garments and the creative minds of the students – it's really creative and inspirational."

The show highlights some important and often overlooked issues: Australians purchase 27kg of new textiles each year – twice the global average. They also send over 500,000 tonnes into landfill according to figures made available by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Shopping and donating to Red Cross Shops encourages the community to reduce, reuse and recycle, which in turn reduces landfill.

'We are thrilled to see just how far emerging designers can take sustainable fashion," said Richard Wood, Australian Red Cross Head of Retail Services.

'Rags to Runway can inspire all of us to think differently about fashion, and we encourage people to shop at Red Cross to restyle clothing, set their own trends and help reduce landfill," he said.

There will be a Red Cross pop-up shop on the night showcasing new and pre-loved fashion pieces.