DESIGN students from the Canberra Institute of Technology’s (CIT) fashion school have been busy transforming discarded white sheets into a range of garments that they hope will redefine fashion’s environmental footprint.

These non-gendered garments, now exhibited in the Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG) as “White Out,” aim to challenge consumers to reconsider their purchasing habits, as the fashion industry contributes to more than 90 million tonnes of textile waste annually worldwide.

In Australia alone, a staggering 200,000 tonnes of clothing and textiles find their way to landfill each year, with 6000 kilograms of fashion and textile waste believed to be discarded every 10 minutes.

Each year, the CIT fashion school engages first-year students in the “White Out” project, that repurposes donated white sheets from Capital Linen Services.

CIT director, technology and design, Shaun Haidon said: “We are incredibly proud of our students’ creativity and the skills they have demonstrated in their design and production of these garments.”

“We expect many more great things to come from our students who are benefiting from the guidance of expert teachers at CIT and from our CMAG partners,” said Shaun.

“We trust our students will flourish when they transition into the fashion industry and that they will continue to positively influence sustainable fashion practices into the future.”

“White Out,” Canberra Museum and Gallery, August 12-January 14.

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