Repair Café at First Site

Worn a hole in your favourite garment? Want to learn to fix that up? Drop in to the Repair Café for clothes at First Site this R U OK Day!

Thursday 8 September, 11.00am to 3.00pm

Free, RSVP essential via Eventbrite.

A graphic depiction of a person from the viewpoint of above the person – they have their legs crossed and are mending some fabric with their hands. They’re holding a needle and sewing into a red piece of fabric with a hole in it.

At the Repair Cafe, we share repair and mending techniques to help you extend the life span of treasured items of clothing using techniques such as Sashiko. This technique focuses on the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi of beauty in imperfection. Repairer and mender, Molly Martin reports that the idea of visibly mending your favourite garment and sitting in a circle using our hands creates connection to the garment and yourself.

As well as contributing to our well-being mending and repairing clothes it helps the well-being and sustainability of our planet by the slowing of landfill from fast fashion. Come to see us at the First Site on RU Ok Day, 8th September to learn more about Sashiko and the Repair Cafe@RMIT!

Audiences are encouraged to drop in at any point between 11am and 3pm to participate in the Repair Workshop.


This project is in collaboration with Carey Walden, Julia English and Georgia McCorkill.

 

Carey Walden is Project Facilitator/Lead for the Repair Cafe@RMIT. From her Research Masters (Master of Design (Media & Communication) came Sashiko a Japanese Textile Process of visible mending which underpins her masters on secular ritual. Thus came the Repair Cafe for clothes at RMIT for students, staff, and alumni to mend, repair and teach those skills. After a long RMIT career in student/staff services & a professional staff appointment to RMIT's Academic Board, Carey is utilising contacts & network to develop the Repair Cafe @ RMIT with her colleagues.

Julia English is a fashion practitioner exploring how we can normalise sustainable ways of engaging with clothing through promoting repair and remanufacturing within the local industry. She is currently completing her PhD at RMIT University examining how local brands are collaborating to remake waste, and she shares her research interviews through her podcast Seam Change.

Georgia McCorkill is a lecturer in the Bachelor of Fashion (Design) at RMIT University where she teaches design studios that explore ethical, sustainable, local or political issues through practical and creative design development and making. Her practice-based research explores sustainable design strategies applicable to bespoke and microdesign contexts, focusing on reuse and sharing of materials and garments.

aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Luwaytini' by Mark Cleaver, Palawa.

aboriginal flag
torres strait flag

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.