Warrnambool's F Project Fabric of Life Festival returns

Theo, 17, transformed the old sleeping bag into a cosy on-trend jacket as part of the F Project's Fabric of Life Festival competition to re-use and re-purpose existing items into wearable art.

The Emmanuel College student found the sleeping bag at a market inside the former Fletcher Jones factory, and used jeans, from an op shop, to add interest.

Theo and his year 11 textiles classmates have created various items to enter into the competition at Warrnambool's St Pius X Hall on Saturday, October 28, 2023, which will also be marked as part of their VCE studies.

"I saw the sleeping bag and decided I wanted to make a puffer coat," Theo said.

The thick, multi-layered sleeping bag proved a challenge to cut and sew but he's pleased with how it turned out.

"It's so warm," he said. "I love it."

"I actually really like textiles. It's the only class I like at school."

Theo said he hoped to pursue a career in textiles or design in the future.

Georgia Black, 17, made a white top and light-up skirt with a tulle overlay using leftover fabric pieces from school.

"It's something I'm going to wear a heap as well, that was an important factor," Georgia said. "It has to be sustainable, rather than something that's going to sit in your cupboard that you're only going to wear once."

She said teens were becoming more conscious of sustainability and some students used fabric from op shops in their designs.

"We're getting more used to buying second-hand clothes and people like to go op shopping now," Georgia said.

Other student entries include a dress inspired by old Vogue magazine covers printed onto fabric, a dress sewn together using folded magazine pages, a knee-length dress made from bridal fabric offcuts and matching scarf, a hand-crocheted top and skirt using wool from an op shop and an existing dress that a student transformed into a top and skirt.

F Project volunteer and former board member Ann Krause said the event had attracted 45 entries, including one from Adelaide.

Last year's inaugural event attracted 38 entries.

She said the works were a combination of the "weird and wonderful" and everything in between.

"It is mostly arty and creative but there's also people who are great craftspeople," Mrs Krause said.

"It's wearable art and they have to make it themselves out of whatever. It could be plastic bags or feathers or anything really."

The five categories include sustainable style, earthly elegance, whispers of history, fabricating the future and wild and free, with entrants vying for more than $5000 in prizes.

Mrs Krause said when naming the event she wanted to honour the Fletcher Jones family and their community contribution.

"In my mind they were the fabric of life for so many families," she said. "Lots of people had jobs there in all sorts of capacities and I thought it would be really nice to have an event that celebrates that history."

Mrs Krause said it was "absolutely important" to re-use and re-purpose items and to buy things that stood the test of time.

"You want something that's special enough you want to keep it and wear it," she said.

"That's what Fletcher Jones was about in those days. Someone would buy a skirt and they'd keep it for 20-odd years or more and then fast fashion came along and people were wearing something once or twice and throwing it out."

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