A small but powerful installation unpicks the real story of craft and people behind your favorite frock. Voxfrock Rookie crew Chrissy Dore (photographer) and Eleanor Smith (writer) were at Many Hands: The Making of a Garment when it opened at the Melbourne Fashion Festival with a line up of passionate industry experts.
“We know that if you can buy a piece of clothing for the cost of a cup of coffee, someone ultimately elsewhere is paying the true cost.” Angela Bell of Ethical Clothing Australia drilled straight to the heart fashion’s problematic future at the launch of Many Hands: The Making of a Garment in Melbourne’s slick new Collingwood Yards arts precinct.
Angela was one of several speakers sharing insights including host Lyn McPherson, director of The Ark Clothing Company, Tara Wingate, production manager at The Social Studio (whose new teaching space was on show) and Jenny Kruschel of the CFMEU’s Textile Clothing and Footwear manufacturing division.
“The exhibition is an incredible testament to the hard work that goes into making a garment in Australia,” Lyn explains in the creative hub’s airy courtyard, recently opened to host grassroots programmes, designers and makers. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with people who don’t realise you can actually make clothing in Australia…”
In fact The Ark Clothing Co. and The Social Studio proved it is not only possible, but have been extremely successful in their 25 and 10 years of operation respectively, building rich, impassioned communities motivated by quality and craft. “It’s important to understand what’s involved in making a beautiful piece of clothing,” Lyn says.
The exhibition is a tour of that process, the making of a dress at The Ark. It features the names and photographed hands of the workers, coaxing us to understand its central theme: who made your garment.
“It’s really interesting to look at all the skill sets within the exhibition…workers who put everything into making a garment as part of their life’s work,” Jenny says. “Fashion represents history and a culture, so what we wear as Australians today represents who we are and the talented people that we have here.”
In the past year, disruptions to global supply chains have shown smaller local producers to be integral. “Local industry needs to be enhanced and skills retained in order to develop a future for the next generation,” Lyn says, “(Enabling) us to be independently capable of manufacturing in Australia”.
Rebuilding production and creative industries in Australia is the goal and passion for the task contagious among the speakers. “We need an industry [because] we need to supply good ethical jobs for people,” says Jenny, “Jobs that mean something to them…We need to have a fashion industry that reflects who we are, and we need to be proud of the workers who work in it.”
Many Hands: The Making of a Garment can be seen online and is open 8am-6pm until Saturday, March 20 at the Collingwood Yards art precinct, 35 Johnston Street, Collingwood.
Meet the rookies:
Melbourne writer and student Eleanor Smith (above) is passionate about meaning and criticism in fashion and values ethical, sustainable processes and local designers. Read more of her writing on Fronts//Facades This is Eleanor’s first time on the Voxfrock Rookie crew.
Chrissy Dore (above) is a Melbourne based photographer, social media professional and publicity consultant with 12 years’ experience in public relations and social media for lifestyle brands. This is her first turn on the Voxfrock Rookie crew.
