Sustainable fashion in Australia: Raw fiber, fast fashion, and new localism

Australia has a high consuming customer base accustomed to purchasing low-cost imported clothing, resulting in high volumes of waste. At the same time, Australia is a primary producer of natural fibre: the world’s largest exporter of merino wool, and third largest exporter of cotton. Yet local textile manufacturing is almost non-existent, with most raw fibre exported and the majority of clothing imported. This hollowed-out manufacturing base is a barrier to progressing sustainable fashion in the country. This essay examines the designers, entrepreneurs, and retailers working against the odds to promote a sustainable ‘local’ fashion system via fledgling reshoring projects and innovative social enterprises.