As we prepare to deliver our first face-to-face course “Introduction to CLO 3D” commencing on the 14 May, we take some time out to speak with our industry expert, digital fashion trailblazer and course facilitator Tracey Eden Willis.

As we get ready to start another session of our popular Intro to Fashion + Sustainability course, we took some time to chat with Rachael Cassar. Designer, prolific upcycler, and experienced lecturer, students taking our course have the privilege of learning with this powerhouse of a sustainability leader. Her work has been featured in magazines around the world, and she offers a wealth of expertise to all her students.

It’s that time of year when so many of us reflect on the year that was, and look forward to what’s to come in the New Year. When the idea for the Centre first came about, we weren’t sure what form it would take. Through much industry consultation, and a lot of dedication from our team, Intro to Fashion + Sustainability successfully launched this year as our first offering. While this is only scratching the surface of the short courses we have outlined and will develop in coming years, to create our first course and put it into the world was exhilarating

The pressures of climate change and modern slavery have never been more prevalent as they are today. 2023 has seen the hottest Northern hemisphere summer on record, and scientists predict this will be the hottest year in 100,000 years. The 1.5 degree temperature threshold that the Paris Accord is built around is likely to be reached as early as next year. Nearly all indicators show data points heading in the wrong direction even as we experience the early impacts of climate change

This month I was happy to support Amodern, Sydney Design Week by the Powerhouse. Curator Keinton Butler curated a powerful program that demonstrated, and facilitated conversations about, the role design plays in creating the necessary systems change to solve the world’s pressing ecological and social problems. It was an opportunity to not just showcase some of our work – like our event featuring the Shima Seiki machine – but also a reminder to continually bring the multiple threads together to support people, culture and environment, in the work that we do.

Doris is a research leader in advanced fashion manufacturing focusing on knitwear design and technology, including functional garments, new materials, and activewear. She is an authority on Wholegarment knitting design and programming, and supervises research projects on fashion and technology with an emphasis on more sustainable manufacturing and design processes. Doris was a leading researcher in the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design Limited (AiDLab) a research operation jointly established by Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The Royal College of Art in the U.K.

Hands up if you love Australian fashion?

We do, too.

And if you’re like 43.4% of Australians you also want that fashion produced locally. Perhaps you’re also like the more than 40% of Australian shoppers who say sustainability drives their fashion purchase decisions.

The Centre’s mission is to grow the capacity of the Australian fashion industry for a sustainable future. We will do this through education, research, networking and advocacy activities, which will also include a focus on innovation and advanced manufacturing to aid sustainability impacts.

The Centre of Excellence was born from the understanding that members of the fashion and textiles industry need to come together to design the future we want for the industry, our planet, garment workers, and future generations.

Collaborating with the ‘competition’ to radically change the Australian fashion landscape.

Imagine the future of fashion + textiles