Questioning Fashion

IS there a ghost in our studio (Jo’s attic)? No matter, because we’re all about human spirit anyway - those big gestures by small businesses, small gestures by big names (that become big by association), distant communities bringing upcycling to a global audience. We needed to chat about nice things, and there are plenty of those within the circular and slow fashion movements.

If you want a good rabbit hole on a gloomy day (or sweltering, depending on your hemisphere), look no further.

Here’s the gorgeous Anna Foster, founder of ELV Denim, better explaining the middle seam trick than Jo managed..

“Our signature style with the four seams is not only an aesthetic design, but a functional one too. The seams allow for simple alterations (which is unheard of in denim), to achieve the desired fit, and the generous seam allowance – as with all couture tailoring – means that the jean can adapt with the life of the wearer; it can go up in size and down in size.”

Oh! And we worked out why Jo wrote “still got it” in her notes! No, it wasn’t a declaration of self-love but an Insta account to help her remember this post:

Introducing Bone Bwoy and his incredible garments made from our dumped textile waste on the shores of Accra, Ghana, under the label Kala Blaq Kintsugi. Check out his Carry Your Future initiative here.

We mention Tate Boswarva, a recent FDS Tafe graduate and Slogue mentor who showed an incredible collection of slow and circular pieces at Australian Fashion Week, and whose process went viral to the tune of 1.8 million views. It’s so labour intensive it’s (hopefully) dupe-proof…

Keen to check out Ali’s recommendation on online clothing patterns? Or what about Cassey Ho’s Blogilates? Here’s the One Direction What Makes You Bootyful workout for all y’all who want to imagine squeezing a penny between your butt cheeks :/

As for Ho’s clever retaliation after her skorts were duped by an ultra fast fashion brand, we think all the ‘kits’ are sold out but you can still purchase the pattern, and if you’re an ‘alternative dance mum’ like Jo, it could make for a great community project to save old dance skirts from landfill!

Here’s the story on the Billie Eilish recycled concert Tees…

Watch this space and follow Anastasia Gazis for news on textiles recycling.

And finally, check out Sheridan Mortlock’s brand new Fixing Fashion podcast …

For the moment Jo did the dirty on Ali with an “other”, here’s their interview, the first in the series being all about Slogue and Flip Fashion Forever.

So, until next time…

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questioningfashion.substack.com

Yes we know, there’s been another accidental hiatus, but we just planned, recorded, edited and published a whole episode in one afternoon, so things are looking up.

In this episode, we catch up on Ali’s recent embroidery work, including her response to a 19th-century wedding fan for an upcoming exhibition in Dunedin. We talk about fashion as art and fashion you just want to make for the joy of it.

Jo shares what she’s been learning through Slogue’s Flip Fashion Forever workshops: that fashion becomes more powerful when young people experience it as something they do, not just something they buy.

We also get into the messy middle of sustainable fashion — why blaming consumers doesn’t work, why “just buy secondhand” is too simple, and why fashion literacy might be one of the missing pieces. What is quality? How do we recognise fabric, fibre, weave and construction? And why does it matter?

Plus: Devil Wears Prada 2, small businesses closing, sewing as social dopamine, emerging designers, and Ali’s excellent explainer on the difference between silk and satin.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questioningfashion.substack.com

Yes we know…. but the point is, we’re here now!!

Just Jo, Ali and her permanently perplexed dog Teddy, all snuggled up with some Chamomile tea and a bundle of cables.

Here are just some of the topics we cover (slash things we plug):

Useful Box Sewing School

Flip Fashion Forever | Instagram @slogue_fashion

Generation Women Australia

Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA)

Email any questions or comments (using the codeword ‘Acorn’ in the subject line) to [email protected]

We’d love a review on Apple Podcasts

And follow us here..instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcastinstagram.com/jogambaleinstagram.com/alidibleytiktok.com/@bellstreet

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questioningfashion.substack.com

We’re not the only ones questioning fashion at this time of year.

Despite the AFC’s best efforts to re-exclusify a ‘reclaimed’ Fashion Week, Carriageworks was still pulsing with big egos in big looks vying for airtime via vox pops. (Look up “Who’s the Final Boss of Micro Trends?” if you care.)

No matter, because inside was where the real news happened.

Here’s a question: what happens when you mix four passionate First Nations women with a privileged white Mansplainer?

Pop the kettle on and settle in because you’re about to find out…

Email any questions or comments (using the codeword ‘Acorn’ in the subject line) to [email protected]

We’d love a review on Apple Podcasts

And follow us here..instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcastinstagram.com/jogambaleinstagram.com/alidibleytiktok.com/@bellstreet

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questioningfashion.substack.com

Could it be? Yes it could. Something’s coming. Something good.

Jo has this West Side Story number in her head right now and fellow musical nerd Ali wants to know why.

If you're a designer, educator, alterations expert, repairer, stylist or creative entrepreneur working in the slow fashion space, and you live in/near Sydney, Newcastle or Melbourne, read below and book yourself into one of the meetings via this link. We really want to hear from you so we can make this venture the best it can be.

https://www.x-u.com.au/

What’s the Slow Fashion Hub?

Slow Fashion Hubs, powered by Xu (short for To the Power of You), is an ambitious new platform that will connect Australia’s slow fashion community through both digital tools and shared physical workspaces. Think co-working but for fashion – complete with sewing tech, design software, e-commerce integration, and peer learning. It’s designed to reduce your costs, extend your reach, and give consumers a real alternative to fast fashion.

The meetings are 2, 3 and 6 June (Sydney, Newcastle, Melbourne respectively). Book your spot today.

Email: [email protected]

We’d love a review on Apple Podcasts

And follow us here..instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcastinstagram.com/jogambaleinstagram.com/alidibleytiktok.com/@bellstreet

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questioningfashion.substack.com

From wrinkly leather to a 'lost online' slow fashion maker who finds comfort in our little pod, we catch up over a virtual mailbag of lovely comms that some of our surprisingly loyal listeners have penned.

We loved recording this one so tell us some stories and we’ll do more!!!

Wish we had a Locked Bag address but sadly it’s just the same boring old email…

For your convenience, below are links to the old episodes our listeners refer to.

(May we recommend, madames, that you also check out the Oleg Cassini episode while on a trip down Archive Lane? It is one of Jo’s all-time faves.)

Why do we care so much about our weddings?

Is it unethical to profit from op-shop bargains?

Ali and Jo’s sustainable fashion dictionary corner

Fashionable Fandoms

Email any questions or comments and please use the codeword ‘Acorn’ in the subject line (we’ll explain later…)Email: [email protected]

We’d love a review on Apple Podcasts

And follow us here..instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcastinstagram.com/jogambaleinstagram.com/alidibleytiktok.com/@bellstreet

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questioningfashion.substack.com

Regular listeners would know that we at QF are avid op shoppers. We like nothing more than to rifle through $1 baskets of stale smelling Lycra at our local Noffs in the hope of finding an original Donna Karan bodysuit.

But that’s because we have the choice. We have the leisure time, the energy and even the funds to cover those pesky op shop inflations..

For those one in eight adult Australians who live below the poverty line, and for women in shelters who have escaped domestic violence, choice of any kind is a luxury, and actually so is being gifted the chance of a fresh start with a carefully curated wardrobe of never worn - never sold clothes courtesy of Thread Together.

Just a few years ago Burberry was famously caught burning its excess stock for fear it’d end up in the hands of the poor (if you’re British you’ll know how ironic this is, given the chav check and the old adage that style can’t be bought, but that’s another story for another episode) ..

Impressive, then, that Thread Together has managed to successfully convince 2,000 fashion brands to be less mean (and toxic) about their unsold stock.

Overproduction to the tune of 30 per cent is the norm now. According to Thread Together CEO Anthony Chesler, for our planet’s eight billion people there are now $100 billion units of clothing being produced annually.

No wonder the TT warehouse is so vast.

We opened this can of wriggling worms after a tour of the place last year with the man himself…

… and while we’re none the wiser about overproduction, we wholeheartedly concede that Thread Together is a great service making the best of a bad situation.

Find out about teambuilding and volunteer opportunities here.

Remember to email any questions or comments and please use the codeword ‘Acorn’ in the subject line (we’ll explain later lol…)Email: [email protected]

We’d love a review on Apple Podcasts

And follow us here..instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcastinstagram.com/jogambaleinstagram.com/alidibleytiktok.com/@bellstreet

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questioningfashion.substack.com

Thanks to the gorgeous Theresa Winters of some place in Illinois, but no thanks to the misbehaving sound equipment at the venue, we had the best time recording this episode live in front of an audience in Sydney last week.

In the lead up to a clothes swap organised at the same venue (the Green Living Centre) the following week, Ali and Jo discuss the potential issues of what should be a sustainable solution to fashion waste/overconsumption.

After hosting public versions for various councils, they found that too many participants were using clothes swaps as ‘dumps’, as many do with op shop (thrift store) doorsteps.

Along with special guest Theresa, clothes swapping “pro” and advocate, Ali and Jo look at ways we can be more mindful when it comes to swaps and - even beyond that - their default ‘Retail Therapy’ behaviour.

IMPORTANT: If you’re a slow or circular fashion store in Sydney and would like to have us host a live pod, panel, ‘sip n style’, industry meet-up or other event, we’re usually happy to collaborate. Email your idea to [email protected]

And as usual, please email any questions or comments to the same address, using the codeword ‘Acorn’ in the subject line (we’ll explain later…)

Meanwhile, check out Theresa Winters’ awesome ‘experiential publication’ The Plus Ones for some of “Earth’s best experiences” in your local hood. (Hoping we’ll get on there soon!)

We’d love a review on Apple Podcasts

And follow us here..instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcastinstagram.com/jogambaleinstagram.com/alidibleytiktok.com/@bellstreet

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questioningfashion.substack.com

How the hell are you all? We’re so sorry for the radio silence. I hope you know we never stopped thinking about you.

The fact is, we haven’t had an awful lot of head space since October, when Ali decided to shut up shop.

Why did she do it? It was literally the best vintage dress hire shop in the southern hemisphere and had so many fans and regular customers.

As any small business owner with a shopfront knows, it’s never as simple as that.

So listen to the story, as recorded in Jo’s daughter’s newly built cubby house (a temporary replacement for our Bell Street studio).

Mentioned in this episode…

UsefulBox Sewing School

Slogue workshops and Directory

Casablanca

Ekoluv

Fashion Alta Moda

Just a reminder, as mentioned in the pod, the next few episodes will be from our ‘vault’, starting with an interview with Thread Together’s Anthony Chesler. The organisation diverts an annual 700+ tonnes of unsold new fashion from landfill to help people below the poverty line. We get the lowdown and address the (overproduction) elephant in the room.

We’re also dedicating an episode to you, the listeners, as we open the mailbox and answer some of your burning fashion questions.

Speaking of which, email any questions or comments and please use the codeword ‘Acorn’ in the subject line (we’ll explain later…)Email: [email protected]

We’d love a review on Apple Podcasts

And follow us here..instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcastinstagram.com/jogambaleinstagram.com/alidibleytiktok.com/@bellstreet

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questioningfashion.substack.com

So it turned out Ali and Jo were visiting Europe at the same time! And since even family holidays bring up questions of fashion for these girls, they figured they’d stay in touch via voice notes (quirkily posing here as answer machine messages for your audio pleasure).

What happened next? Christian Lacroix, for one. 80s silver ruffles at Portabello Rd, for another. The Case of the Missing Pile of Favourite Clothes. Veja in-store repairs in Paris. Humana charity stores in Barcelona and Berlin. Not to mention the sticky willies, ginger spotted dick and BIBA!

Have you had any amazing finds at overseas op shops or vintage stores?

Email us: [email protected] social media accounts:instagram.com/questioningfashionpodcastinstagram.com/jogambaleinstagram.com/bellstreettiktok.com/@bellstreet

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit questioningfashion.substack.com