Recycled and salvaged materials will be turned into striking runway creations at a bold festival highlighting fashion’s growing waste problem.
At a time when fashion is dominated by mass production and micro-trends, the Australian Wearable Art Festival (AWAF) is asking audiences to slow down and rethink what they wear.
Now entering its sixth year, the Sunshine Coast event has evolved from a grassroots creative experiment into Australia’s premier wearable art festival – helping put the region on the map as a leader in artistic innovation, sustainability and contemporary culture.
The event, to be held at Novotel Sunshine Coast Resort’s Convention Centre on July 11, will attract artists from around the world, who transform salvaged textiles, industrial waste, recycled plastics and discarded materials into large-scale wearable artworks.
AWAF director Wendy Roe said wearable art offered something increasingly rare in mainstream modern fashion: authenticity.
“Even though we have a runway, this is not a fashion festival,” she said.
“It is part sculptural art exhibition and part creative protest against disposable culture, with more than 80 per cent of participating artists incorporating recycled, salvaged or repurposed materials into their works.”
Australians send an estimated 200,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill every year.
Globally, the fashion industry is responsible for around 10 per cent of carbon emissions, with one garbage truck of textiles dumped or burned every second.
“We are asking our audience to imagine something radically different: ‘What if clothing was treated not as disposable, but as art?'” Ms Roe said.
“Artists transform abandoned plastics into couture, industrial waste is reborn as armour and vintage fabrics are reimagined into theatrical silhouettes.”
While major fashion capitals wrestle with overproduction and waste, regional Australia is emerging as an unexpected leader in experimentation and material innovation.
“Creative disruption doesn’t only come from Paris or New York, it can come from communities willing to question the system,” she said.
“The Sunshine Coast has this incredible blend of creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and lifestyle, and audiences here have really embraced bold artistic experiences.
“Sustainability doesn’t have to be beige, it can be spectacular.”
The event will feature one of its most prestigious judging panels, led by Australian fashion icon Linda Jackson, the National Gallery of Victoria’s Katie Somerville and internationally recognised wearable artist RR Pascoe.
Alongside creative partner Jenny Kee, Ms Jackson helped redefine Australian fashion in the 1970s through bold designs inspired by the Australian landscape, native flora and a creative spirit.
“Wearable art is one of the most exciting forms of creative expression because it allows artists complete freedom to imagine beyond the boundaries of traditional fashion,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing works that are courageous, unexpected and deeply personal: pieces that tell a story, evoke emotion and reveal something of the artist’s unique way of seeing the world.
“Wearable art also invites us to look at materials differently, not as waste or excess, but as possibility.”
RR Pascoe’s internationally recognised practice has long championed sustainability, DIY culture and artistic accessibility.
A five-time finalist and four-time award winner at the World of WearableArt Awards Show, her work transforms recycled and unexpected materials into highly sculptural wearable pieces.
Meanwhile, Ms Somerville brings more than three decades of curatorial experience from the National Gallery of Victoria, where she has led major exhibitions including Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse; The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture and the recent Westwood | Kawakubo exhibition.
The addition of the three judges adds to AWAF’s reach, reflecting a broader shift in audience attitudes, particularly among younger generations increasingly demanding transparency, sustainability and individuality.
“People are craving creativity again. They want authentic experiences that feel bold, emotional and human,” Ms Roe said.
The festival’s 2026 program was designed to position wearable art as artistic expression and environmental provocation.
The festival will feature more than 40 national and international artists, immersive activations, collection showcases, artist demonstrations and expanded hospitality.
There will be shows at 1pm and 7pm. For tickets and information see Australian Wearable Art.
