As COVID-19 took off in 2020, Melanie Flintoft had to make a tough decision.
- ADL Fashion Week is on this week
- An Adelaide brand is focusing on making the clothes it sells carbon neutral
- It has worked with a fertiliser company to improve their compostability
At the helm of seven fast fashion brands, which relied heavily on wholesale customers and department stores, the tough choice was made to put the company into administration and up for sale.
But it was the beginning of something new.
"On reflection, we had struggled to find our "why" and our purpose with fast fashion, and we only became aware of the catastrophic consequences of the fast fashion industry in the few years before COVID, which proved to be a catalyst for what was to come," Ms Flintoft said.
"We understood that the fashion industry is the second most destructive to people and the planet, and we had time to deeply consider whether we should go back".
"As we saw, the world didn't need another trend-based seasonal fashion label. So, the question was, 'what do we do now, with our years of experience, this is all we know?'"
They decided to make the switch from "polyester and plastic bags, massive overproduction, wasteful inventory" to something different.
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Now the creative director at Adelaide-based resort wear label Sunset Lover, the brand's main aim is to have a zero-carbon footprint.
An Australian Fashion Council report released earlier this year found Australians bought 14.8 kilograms of clothing every year, or 56 new items, at an average cost of $6.50 each.
Much of it ends up in landfill, which equates to about 10kg per person, per year.
The impact on landfill is a key part of Melanie Flintoft's goals for the brand.
"Building a brand from the ground up means we are looking at every aspect of what we do to make sure that it is as sustainable as possible from labels to packaging to the garments themselves and at the end of its life it can simply be composted and return back to nature without harm," she said.
"Currently, I would say we are mostly compostable and sustainable, but we have challenges with some components such as a portion of our buttons and zips, which are not.
"The many components of a garment, rather than just the fabric, present sustainability challenges that must be considered, such as sewing thread, lining, padding, stretch, printing, dyes, buttons and zips.
"We are scouring the globe and working with scientists and universities to help with this.
"Our goal is for 100 per cent compostable and sustainable luxury fashion which is unique, and it has its challenges, but we are committed to seeing this through and making it happen."
The label, which is showcasing its designs at this week's ADL Fashion Week, is also working with scientists to test how compostable its items are.
"Whatever we take from the land, we want to put back into the land to keep the circularity going," Ms Flintoft said.
"We are working with scientists at Neutrog, a natural bio fertiliser company, that tests our fabrics for compostability.
"As an example one of the fabrics was 97 per cent certified organic cotton with 3 per cent elastane.
"When buried in compost for six weeks, we saw the cotton had completely disappeared and turned into usable compost, but leaving only the stretchy elastane, which was perfect and will take hundreds of years to break down.
"Once we saw this, the goal was clear and set for zero plastic."
A spokesperson for the Adelaide Economic Development Agency said ADL Fashion Week was a chance to stimulate economic activity in the city as well as showcasing South Australia's best talent.
"We're so excited to be able to offer an opportunity for South Australian designers to showcase their incredible creativity in an iconic location rich with South Australian history and beyond," the spokesperson said.
ADL Fashion Week replaces the Adelaide Fashion Festival, which was axed in 2019.