Re-imagining Fashion Panel Discussion: towards sustainable fashion futures Past Event
The panel of ‘circular’ advocates will discuss strategies such as localisation, product stewardship, new business models, co-design, and 3D technology.
Hear how designers, start-ups, and industry might become circular and localised in their practice, and create interventions in the local fashion industry towards systems-level change and sustainable fashion futures. Key issues covered will include:
- What does measurable success look like for circular fashion and how do we better engage brands and retailers to go beyond incremental sustainability measures?
- How can localism offer an opportunity for fashion to become restorative and what are the advantages of circular and localised systems for the fashion industry, the environment and people?
- Is there a new system that offers the ‘right to repair’ model, and should we look at making purchases on the potential expected shelf life of a product?
- How can we engage the fashion industry to create best practice by harnessing 3D technology towards sustainable fashion futures?
The panel discussion is designed and facilitated by Nat Stratos (Nat Stratos Design & Consulting, Neo3DT) and will be moderated by Ben Kaminsky (Textile Recyclers Australia).
The first ten registrations will receive a 3D Designed Zero Waste Organic Cotton Tote Bag designed by Martina Ponzoni at 3D Robe and manufactured by Textile Recyclers Australia. The bag comes with The Original Fabric Comb and a repair kit that includes a Gütermann creativ RPET thread, a button, and a sewing needle.
This is a virtual event produced by RMIT First Site Gallery and designed and facilitated by Nat Stratos.
Inquiries: RMIT First Site, Alice Mathieu, [email protected]
John Gertsakis
John Gertsakis is a director of the recently announced Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence and an adjunct professor at UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures where he works closely with manufacturers, brands and industry associations on stewardship solutions and product life-cycle management.
John is a sustainability and communications practitioner with experience as an advocate, industry adviser and research academic. His work covers ecodesign and product stewardship for appliances, consumer electronics, medical products, commercial furniture, plastics in agriculture and textiles. John is also director and co-founder of the Ewaste Watch Institute.
Nicoletta Stecca
Formally-trained in Fashion design, Nicoletta Stecca has extensive experience in the Fashion industry with ten years spent in design, product development and marketing for luxury brands and consulting studios in Milan.
She is on the board of two not-for-profit organisations, Circular Economy Victoria in Australia and rén collective in Italy.
Through these organisations, she supports businesses and professionals creating a competitive advantage using Circular Economy principles and sustainability practices.
She envisions a future where the fashion industry is a regenerative, inclusive, and collaborative force that creates value for people and the environment.
Camille J Reed
Camille J Reed has a feverous passion for sustainability, she is currently building Australia’s newest and largest association: The Australasian Circular Textile Association (ACTA) to facilitate and recognise the importance of a circular economy in the apparel and textile sector. Never one to sit back and wait for change, Camille has proudly aligned herself through partnerships with National and International experts as a leader in sustainability founding The Australian Circular Fashion Conference (ACFC), a unique annual event, collectively supporting Australia and New Zealand’s textile industry in the business behind sustainable best practice
Natalie Johnson
Natalie Johnson is a passionate fashion technologist with over 15 years’ experience in Fashion Buying and Tech. Prior to her current position as 3D Designer at 3D Robe, Natalie has worked in software companies specifically targeting industry best practice, to move fashion towards being less wasteful, more circular, sustainable, and ethical all whilst utilising the latest technology. A keynote speaker who has been sought out to speak on Digital Fashion + 3D Design for the Legacy Summit hosted by Vogue, Conde Nast in London and Women in Tech meetups at Atlassian. Personally, interested in reducing waste in the fashion industry, virtual fit technology, and fashion gaming worlds. Past Clients include Farfetch, The Iconic, Good On You and Woolmark.
Nat Stratos
Nat Stratos is a multi-disciplinary design practitioner in the Fashion and Textile industry and is interested in how we might create design tools and prototypes for designers and users to create value-led artefacts, knowledge-led practices, and new circular fashion economies towards sustainable fashion and textiles futures. Nat is the founder of start-up Neo3DT , a circular apparel and 3D print jewellery concept with a closed-loop take-back service.
Practicing and consulting for 23 years as a Textile, Fashion, and Costume designer, Nat designs defence issue for the Army, RAN, and RAAF, services a variety of ready to wear fashion retailers and wholesalers, notably adidas, Play Corp, Target, Big W, Anaconda and has worked in social innovation and cultural development for the Local Government as an Art Director and Costume Designer,
Currently, Nat is completing a Master of Design Futures at RMIT, her research area is circular design, zero-waste design, and 3D visualisation and is investigating how methodologies Co-design, Systems thinking and Transition design might address the fashion and textile socio-technical systems wicked problems in the context of planetary boundaries and human equality.
Ben Kaminsky
Ben Kaminsky has been engaged in the Apparel & Textile business for some 30 years now. From early beginnings in the family manufacturing facility back in the day when full production of Women’s garments was made in Australia. Education on the factory floor in every aspect of garment production, from design to final finished product. The experience accrued knowledge and focus on quality first has led Ben to supply some of the largest companies in Australia and Internationally with an Apparel solution. In both the fields of Fashion and Corporate Apparel Ben operates TRA (Textile Recyclers Australia) an innovative national recycler with the mission statement of “Reducing any form of Textile going into Landfill” and services Uniqlo, Up-apparel, Yarra Trams to name a few.