The problem:
Every year, mountains of fabric are discarded before they’re ever
used. When an avid sewist, maker or crafter downsizes or
passes away, they or their families are often left with rooms full of
gathered fabric, buttons, thread and sewing machines; once cherished —
and no idea what to do with them. Perfectly good fabric and supplies
end up in landfill, not because they have no value, but because there
seems to have been nowhere else for it to go.
This is part of a textile waste crisis hiding in plain sight.
More than 6,000 tonnes of textiles are sent to landfill every 10
minutes in Australia — 23kg per person, per year. To date, unused
textiles have not been measured, and our early estimate suggests there
is a HUGE problem, sitting behind closed cupboard doors, barely counted.
The Fabric ReStore exists to change that. In just 10 months,
we’ve rehomed an average of 152kg of textiles every month and
facilitated recycling of over 1,000kg. We know that is just the tip of
the iceberg. The Fabric ReStore is a place where unloved fabric and
notions find their way back to the makers who’ll treasure them — in a
space built on community, connection and shared passion.
Help us extend this impact.
Our solution:
The Fabric ReStore is:
- Melbourne's first dedicated second-hand store for fabric and sewing supplies. Every piece on the shelves has been pre-owned but never used, generously donated and carefully sorted, curated and presented for sale at a fraction of the initial price.
- a certified social enterprise with sustainability at the core. Our mission is to keep beautiful textiles out of landfill and offer these back to people who will love them.
- a place to drop off textile waste ensuring it doesn't go to landfill.
We either rehome fabric and supplies with avid makers or we recycle ethically, responsibly, sustainably with Textile Recycling Group. Already rehoming and recycling an average of 252 kgs per month, our impact is real! We’re making a change stitch by stitch, to reduce the amount of textiles ending up in landfill. We want to double this impact by the end of 2026. You can be part of this!!
With your support we will:
- pay for storage space to enable ongoing donations to be accepted, sorted, stored, curated and made available to our customers
- allow for ethical textile recycling of unusable fabric scraps included in donations
- invest in our passionate team members who live and breathe our mission at The Fabric ReStore in Eaglemont Village
- extend our reach and impact through targeted communications and marketing to individuals and groups aligned with our philosophy of providing textiles and sewing supplies, otherwise destined for landfill, to be offered back to communities who care about sustainability and will use them.
It’s All or Nothing in this fundraising campaign - our target is $12,000 - Help stitch The Fabric ReStore into the permanent fabric of the sustainable sewing community in Banyule and beyond
Be part of the solution, help extend our reach and impact.
What’s in it for you? Makers, Businesses, Enthusiasts…
- You are now a part of our Fabric ReStore community; making a change stitch by stitch, to reduce the amount of textile waste ending up in landfill. But more than that - we’re a community of makers; connecting, supporting, innovating…
- Social media shout-outs and collaboration opportunities
- You can have naming rights on a fabric cube instore (for donations over $100)
What your donation means?
$20 pays for 5kg of textile recycling ensuring unusable scraps don’t end up in landfill.
$100 pays to extend our Saturday opening hours from 2pm-4pm
$500 pays for a month of storage allowing us to continuously accept and sort more.
We’re not short of ideas… or stretch goals:
If we reach our target of $12,000, we will stabilise and enhance our existing presence at The Fabric ReStore, Eaglemont. Our stretch goal is $20,000 and this will enable us to extend our impact even further.
More ReStores means more fabric offered to those who love to use it, more savings for makers, more sustainability and more social impact.
We want to become a viable alternative to the big-chain mega-fabric stores.
We want to make all the benefits of the fabric ReStore available to those outside of metro Melbourne by offering Pop up shops in regional areas. There are lots of costs associated with this (travel, accomodation, time).
About our Founder, the Top Stitch:
 | Katrina Naish worked in the fashion industry for 20 years and gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges around textile wastage. Never feeling aligned with the industry, she started A Fitting Connection 5 years ago offering textile waste and upcycling workshops as an alternative creative process with meaning and purpose. 3 years ago, she received a few large, deceased-estate donations of lovely unused fabric and sewing supplies that prompted the creation of The Fabric ReStore which opened just last year. Alongside The Fabric ReStore, Katrina runs the Creative Community Space; a place for community members to come to and sew, craft, create and build connection. |
About Sam, the Side Seam:
| Fortunate to have space and freedom (to spend my time only following pursuits that make me happy) has taken me down a path of self-reinvention. I’m a self-taught sewist and maker who is now tutoring sewing at my local neighbourhood house, studying textiles at Uni and occasionally selling my wares at local makers markets under the name Seamlessly X Sam. About a year ago, I (Sam) walked into The Fabric ReStore, then a shop no bigger than your average changing room and was blown away. The idea that one person would set out to have an impact on the global issue of textile wastage at a local level, excited and enthused me. “I want to work with you!” I blurted out. “I wish I could afford to pay a staff member” was Katrina’s response. From there, Katrina took a leap of faith in bringing me into the fold to get to this point of standing alongside her in aspiring to her vision. |  |
