My Work

The Codes Summit was a day full of fun, surprises and impressive speakers. Mainly for the audience of women but the few men in the room, may have had greater understanding of inequity in the workplace and life from listening to a range of powerful speakers. An all-female line-up, including the Keynote speaker, Australia’s first astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg. I went to support the Ainsley Simpson, CEO from Seamless Australia who joined the conversations about the fashion waste emergency. It’s something that is not well understood in Australia, so it was great to hear this audience receive the information about the fashion over consumption facts and the associated waste problem, why Seamless Australia exists and the framework and system changes evolving.

An extraordinary location at a large centuries old French National Treasure, the Chateau de Chantilly, surrounded by a Forrest including a real moat. The Chateau has been converted into a museum. It houses a large significant history art collection, second biggest in France to the Louve in Paris. This is a small event for a limited number of guests to hear from some extraordinary speakers in the industry about how Luxury is moving forward in challenging times. The Gala Dinner was a highlight and the Garden Lunch as we were treated by beautiful surrounds and delicate food, and the immense beauty of the art, culture and surrounds.

A truly favourite event of mine each year, attending the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, to be part of a huge gathering of the Fashion Industry about the transition to a fashion circular economy and sustainability in fashion. This year’s theme was Building Resilient futures. It never ceases to amaze me the new technology and innovations exhibited here. There were 123 speakers across 3 stages over 3 days and evening events. The highlight was the Gala Dinner as always with this year, Queen Mary of Denmark being present. I met some familiar faces and new faces but always such a great way to connect with people from all over the world. I use the content of the speakers and panel talks to formulate my own education I conduct in my Global Chair role helping other countries understand the changes that are coming.

Loop Upcycling is a social enterprise in Perth, where they rescue textiles from mining uniforms and other waste streams of textiles to recreate new products. They have a large volunteer program to make the new products. Their current product range include teddy bears, a variety of small, medium and large bags, dog coats and pencil cases. I was fortunate to attend a celebration event at the factory for the Volunteers and had an extensive tour of the factory to see firsthand the people and premise creating an impressive solution to textile waste. The evening was shared with other social enterprises 12 Buckets, a program assisting youth support and Give Write who collect and distribute unwanted stationery. I love connecting with all social enterprises because I often come across people who need these services and I’m always happy to refer people onto affiliated organisations.

I made visits to 3 installations of the Circular Fashion Council & Festival and workshops. Visited Fremantle to see the Mending Machine in action and a range of workshops in action to upcycle fashion. The bicycle’s pedal power creates energy for a sewing machine. Also, in Yagan Square to see their Clothing Exchange in full swing with people coming with bags of clothes to swap for something on the many racks. Clothing in and out were weighed to calculate what has been saved from landfill. There was a lot of engagement from people adapting each week to a different theme, creating a range of new items for the racks. The prink horse float was a feature of these events, being a sewing station to help people learn how to sew and mend their clothes.

To mark the celebration and awareness of Earth Day in April 2026, I led 6 speakers to present our latest White Paper research for the Circular Fashion in the countries of Spain, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, U.S. Korea and Malaysia. It was a huge body of work for me to collage and present which is now on the AICI Global website for our 1,500 members to have access to understand the change across so many regions. I summarised the findings to conclude the most significant change was resale platforms.

This was a great few days connecting with all the fashion stylists and consultants from Latin America. It was a large event with 135 ladies attending. They are rich in culture and ceremony, so it was a joy to be part of a very professional group. Everyone was very warm and friendly, despite the language barrier, but I was able to translate the many speakers easily and often had an interpreter. A beautiful welcome and day at a spectacular winery were a great way to start the congress and then a few days of speakers.  It was a quick trip and no time to explore the city, but it was wonderful to make the connection with so many.

The first week is always a great way to connect with other people in the Fashion Industry. The talks are always very informative with a range of speakers and topics across various locations. Followed by a week of runway shows and exhibitions. For the first time there was a Sustainability Award given to a designer which is a great step for the audience to understand there is change happening. Many of the talks are held at the Melbourne Museum or extraordinary Royal Exhibition Building.

It was an absolute honour to Speak the Perth Fashion Club Community at the impressive Crown Towers Complex in Perth, Western Australia to share with the audience about the impacts of our clothing on the environment. The Creative Director of the Club, Chaynika has many Designers and Creatives as part of her community, so it was great for me to have a new audience and understand the challenges in a city I grew up in. I have not lived in Perth for 30 years. I visit often and now it’s been a please to connection with the Fashion Industry there.

Corporate Vision Magazine awarded Dazzle Image Consulting a Global Small Business Award for my work to educate about sustainability in fashion. It was very unexpected but any way to advocate for change and make people realise that fashion is causing a waste emergency, was worth sharing my work and what I do helping consumers understand the changes in the fashion industry and ultimately taking small steps for change.

Attending a Seamless Talk with the Brands Elk, The Sussan Group and Sportsgirl were very informative of the changes they are making to improve supply chain, system and processes and becoming a B Corp Certified business. Also, a heartfelt story from a designer of a different kind, Yang Gurdi shared her own collection of handmade work.  Ainsley Simpson the CEO of Seamless gave further updates on the challenges so far since they commenced only a few short months before.

Professor Alice Payne the Dean of Fashion & Textile at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia led a great discussion with Lucianne Tonti, Author of Sundressed and Trish FitzSimons the Author of Fleeced. The discussion was about the fibres our clothes are made of. Both Authors have written about the history of textiles, so it was good to hear how things used to be and how they have changed and where we may move to in the future.

For the third year in a row, I assisted the festival to have a fashion sustainability element to the enormous venue they hold the event at. I was one of six circular economy exhibitions. In the past I have been the only exhibition, so it was with great enthusiasm to be a part of the education program in Hobart to help the locals understand the transition, as the world is moving to a circular fashion economy. I displayed some beautiful designs from a local artist, who creates men shirts from souvenir tea towels. They were on coat hangers suspended about my exhibition. They were a great attraction for their uniqueness, bright colours and being different. I displayed what I have recognised as the 10 key changes in the fashion industry. A video on rotation was a great addition showing many new inventions and technology which people stopped or sat to watch and engage with me.

I visited an exceptional exhibition from the Circular Textile Working Group in Perth Western Australia, as part of the Circular Fashion Festival. There was a large collection of Up-cycled designs on display, showing how intricate and inspiring this type of design technique can be. From hats and accessories that created a very artistic display left you wondering if the future of fashion is indeed very exciting as we move to a circular economy using what we already have instead of making new.

As Global Chair of the AICI Sustainability Committee, I led a global webinar on the intersection of fashion and sustainability. We launched our White Paper on the Fashion Circular Economy, collaborative research aimed at highlighting regional insights and innovative practices across India, Japan, Mexico, Australia and Europe.

It was an extraordinary few days at the Deakin University in Geelong with the team from ARC Research Hub for Future Fibres and some fantastic speakers from the wide-reaching circular economy fields in Australia. From Professors to Scientists, Government and Enterprises that are making huge leaps into the transition to the new future of fashion.

Always great to meet the other members of the Association of Image Consulting International. This time we met in Brisbane and the Gold Coast with a jam-packed schedule, including seeing the opening of the Brisbane Fashion Festival. Great couple of days re-connecting with the ladies because we are spread so far and wide in Australia, we usually meet up on organisation online webina

Attending Seamless Australia first birthday celebration was a great gathering of like-minded people who are official supporters, like me or members.  As the world is transitioning to a fashion circular economy, Seamless Australia with their team of Ainsley, Danielle, Karen and Paige are doing an extraordinary job creating new systems and processes to turn our industry into one that designs better, uses for longer and has clear waste streams, sorting and recycling infrastructure. It was great to be there to hear how far they have come.

Visit to The Fabric Restore which an important community project created by Katrina Naish from A Fitted Connection. Katrina receives unwanted textiles from people’s homes and has created a real hub for people who love to sew and creative projects. Not only does unwanted fabric get donated, but a range of haberdashery items and patterns. There are sewing and craft classes run, which helping to pass down skills. People underestimate the value in handing down skills, but it’s one of the biggest problems we have in Australia since offshoring our clothing manufacturing. The generations who made our clothes are now retiring, so keeping skills alive is valuable.

Podcast Interview for Household Management Science Labs was a great conversation with Marie Stella about decluttering wardrobes and how to be more organised. This creates less waste if you know what’s in your wardrobe and learning how to wear items together. It becomes life changing for people when they can transition to order and ultimately reduces fashion waste.

Josh Deane Upcycled Fashion and Art exhibition in Melbourne Australia. Always happy to support new creatives who are creative and environmentally conscious then the make new fashion. Josh has already showcased his beautiful multi coloured and bold designs at Melbourne Fashion Festival and his ability to connect with people is very meaningful, creating fabrics that represent his art, always with a story that’s behind it.

I am honoured to serve in this role for the next two years, applying my leadership and experience to guide the organization and its fashion professionals in navigating the evolving fashion industry. My focus will be on supporting them to implement strategies within their own countries that encourage consumer behaviour change and foster more sustainable practices. As there are many changes happening, in the fashion industry, I am brining my innovative education style that empowers other leaders with easy practical steps that is motivating.

This was like a farytale attending this Summit in Lake Como, Milan, Italy.  The location at Ville de Este was an eye opener of the beautiful location for this event that brought Luxury brands together to discuss the significant downturn in the Industry and how they plan to move forward. The opportunity to talk to the participants was exceptional and the Gala dinner was a highlight. I rented a dress for the event.  It was an interesting exercise because clothing rental is not common, but I did find a way and had an extra special outfit which I was able to return.

Milan, one of the world’s foremost fashion capitals, was an inspiring place to study. During my time there, I completed advanced certification in Personal Styling for both men’s and women’s wear, with a focus on style, image, and colour analysis. Beyond the classroom, the experience was enriched by observing the effortless style of people in everyday life and exploring the city’s renowned shopping districts, which brought fashion theory vividly to life.

I believe clothing rental is an excellent way to enjoy the latest fashion with only a small investment. While in Italy, I explored rental options in both Rome and Milan, which proved to be two very different experiences, as clothing rental is not yet a common practice there. I discovered that signing a rental contract can be complex and requires assistance. In both cities, my hotel connected me with fashion stylists who accompanied me to the rental locations, helped me try on garments, and navigated the process. Having local expertise was invaluable in finding the venues, communicating my needs, and understanding the terms.

Every two years, the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI) hosts a four-day conference in a new destination, bringing together fashion professionals from around the world to learn, share, and network. As a Gift Sponsor, I contributed 230 Dazzle Sewing Repair Kits to participants, helping to raise awareness about the importance of clothing repair and encouraging sustainable practices within the industry. It is one small step for the fashion industry to try themselves and then raise awareness for a simple task which has great impact.

I was invited by Household Management Science Labs to join their On The House Podcast (Episode 77) to discuss how better wardrobe management can reduce clothing purchases, encourage thoughtful planning, and ultimately minimise clothing waste. Our conversation covered a range of topics, including the importance of repairing garments and the challenges created by overwhelming wardrobes. With no global infrastructure currently equipped to manage the vast volumes of fashion waste, the responsibility often falls to individuals. If each of us takes steps to manage our personal footprint more effectively, together we can make a significant impact in reducing the environmental consequences of the unprecedented levels of fashion waste we face today.

I was invited to speak to a room of businesswomen about sustainability in fashion, where I explained key changes taking place within the industry and shared practical resources for families on responsibly disposing of unwanted clothing. The response was overwhelmingly positive, as many participants had not previously been exposed to this information and found it both eye-opening and valuable. To encourage immediate action, I provided Dazzle Sewing Kits to support clothing repairs, and following an interactive quiz, distributed RYCL bags so attendees could recycle their own unwearable garments. I am passionate about inspiring people to create meaningful change through simple, practical steps in their wardrobes, homes, and businesses.

I take great pleasure in sourcing vintage tablecloths from Op shops and charity stores, where the fabrics are often of exceptional quality and adorned with intricate hand embroidery. Among my finds were several 12-seater tablecloths, which I repurposed into two bespoke outfits using my grandmother’s original sewing patterns from the 1950s and 1960s. With the expertise of a skilled dressmaker, these garments were brought to life, and I was proud to wear them at speaking engagements to demonstrate the elegance of vintage textiles and the enduring value of fabric repurposing.

Collaborating with Melbourne Fashion Festival & City of Boroondara for this years Independent Program was held at The Hawthorn Arts Centre. A room full of eager attendees came to learn how to sew on a button, make a hand sewn pin cushion & hand sew a hem. My talk to the group about why it’s now so important to repair our clothes had the group engaged & motivated.

The general feedback was very positive and everyone asking when would the next workshop be? Half the room had never threaded a needle before and the rest had very little experience. It was life changing for many and it was a great privilege to assist everyone to walk away with some confidence to mend their clothes.

It was a great experience to work in the studio of Ticker News in Melbourne Australia and discuss the importance of repairing our clothes. Reaching a global audience about why the world is moving to a circular economy and why Governments are legislating many changes.

Mike Loder the host was personally interested due to his recent up-skilling and it seems these conversations are becoming more common as people are seeing value in becoming creative and investing time to learn some basic sewing skills. Listen to my interview here.

Educating an International audience is an honour and one I am very grateful for. I felt a big shift in enthusiasm, commitment & responsibility when I delivered this global webinar to 44 member countries for this collaboration.

My Stepping into Sustainable in 2025 presentation, is a remarkable celebration of commitment & responsibility I shared with Fashion Stylists, Image Consultants and Fashion Professionals around the world, to understand the rapid shifts in the fashion Industry, sustainable pillars & practices, new EU, UK & US legislations, and how to future proof their business.

As a member of the AICI Global Sustainability Committee, it was a great privilege to share my passion & expertise and in return, receive such positive engagement, despite the multiple time zones. For me in Melbourne Australia, it was 12am to 1am but my work is so important to me, I did not hesitate. I also work with disadvantaged communities, which help motivate me and help me feel less concerned about time and more about positivity & impact.

www.aici.org

It was great to receive an invitation to contribute my expertise in fashion sustainability to the pilot program for the Skills Labs. A new Government initiative to support the State of Victoria in Australia, the clean economy ambitions and drive collaborative skills solutions together with expertise and stakeholders, in the quest for building tomorrow’s workforce. Conducted by Melbourne Polytechnic University with the impressive keynote presentation by Dr Leyla Acaroglu providing a visionary talk before we had the afternoon of workshopping the many complex issues.
https://www.melbournepolytechnic.edu.au/about-us/news-and-events/news/melbourne-polytechnic-to-lead-new-skills-labs/

Attending the event helped to understand the enormity of this event and many challenges to getting our clothes made. There were 900 exhibitor stalls, that were mostly manufacturers from China, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Turkey, South Africa, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Fiji, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. I enjoyed the speaker series, that highlighted many interesting talks and in particular from Seamless Australia the Government organization announcing the latest report, the New Clothing Benchmarking Data.
https://globalsourcingexpo.com.au/

It was an enjoyable project raising awareness about the online clothing repair service called Hello Tailr. Firstly testing the new online repair platform with my own clothing, before making several videos for social media, about my excellent experience and explaining how to use the platform.  I met the Founder Owen Parry at a Collarts University, Melbourne Fashion Festival presentation he gave about his business. It was a quick hello from me, to find out how I could help promote the fantastic service, which uses 3 Social Enterprises for the repairs. The Social Studio, Second Stitch Melbourne and Assembled Threads.
https://hellotailr.com/

I visited a Textile Recover Centre called Creative Community Space a Social Enterprise by A Fitted Connection, based in Greensborough, Victoria, Australia. The founder, Katrina gave me a tour of the premises and talked about her journey so far. From finding a space to hold the stock, the logistics of staff, workshops and the supplies that keep arriving, that would otherwise go to landfill. Making some videos for social media to raise awareness was a very positive experience.
https://afittingconnection.com.au/

Every year, Ethical Clothing Australia have a week of celebrations for accredited brands. I was invited to attend a small group of Fashion Designers who together run their independent businesses from Emerald at the foot of the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria, Australia.  Caitlyn, the ECA representative, spoke to the gathering to explain more about the role they play to help improve supply chains of clothing production here in Australia
https://ethicalclothingaustralia.org.au/

I had the privilege of visiting their huge warehouse in Sydney and taken on a guided tour of all the operations, by the CEO, Anthony Chesler.  Thread Together is one of Australia’s biggest charities who collect clothing from brands who have excess stock and provides these clothes to people in need. Thread Together work with approx. 3,000 charities across Australia, enormous volunteer teams, mobile wardrobe vans, wardrobes to women’s refuges, an instore experience for some, but mostly sending packages to where they are helping flood, fire victims or any other crisis centre. I created some social media posts about brand excess but also personal excess clothing to educate about the importance of Reuse, finding another purpose for unwanted clothing.

We need to change our behaviours about buying too much and then having waste, but it’s also vital to change overproduction. All these initiatives help to reduce fashion waste going to landfill. It is a most inspiring organisation, who I hope to continue to work with in the future.

The event theme this year was “Awakenings”. I created a new campaign about What is a Fashion Circular Economy. I spoke on a panel to answer that question. I had two interactive workshops and an exhibition all about the same topic and the workshops were about Repair and Reuse. Workshop 1 was to learn some basic sewing skills by sewing on buttons onto a community project. Workshop 2 was reusing the fabric from unwanted men’s business shirts, bought at an Op shop, that were professional cleaned to hand make some circular pin cushions. Local Hobart Designer, Sue Hall from Shall Design exhibited two mannequins  wearing some vintage tablecloths she had created a beautiful wedding dress and another outfit.

It’s an honour to be a Supporter of Seamless Australia and work together to create a Circular Economy in Australia. This journey started a few years ago for me, when the Australian Government provided the funds for the Australian Fashion Council (AFC) to create a Product Stewardship Scheme and research why Australia was dealing with so much clothing and textile waste and create a plan for our future.

During my Board role with the Association of Image Consulting International in Australia, I attended all the public meetings to understand the issues and decisions. In July 2024 Seamless Australia launched and is now the organisation to move the Australian Fashion Industry to a Circular Economy. As I continue to educate Consumers to understand and transition their own personal habits and wardrobes to being more sustainable, it’s will be a pleasure to work with Seamless Australia for a common goal.

I was delighted to participate in the first group workshop conducted with local, passionate sustainability Leaders, to work through many issues we face and workshop the ideas for the future to become a Circular Economy. Every industry faces challenges and the City of Boroondara and the Swinburne University have the vision to bring experts in their field together. The day was very productive to create data and information for further research and assist planning for the first stage of becoming more sustainable and create the necessary infrastructure to become a Circular Economy and understand what’s important to the Leaders driving change also.

This was an extraordinary experience to be accepted to attend the 15th Global Fashion Summit, presented by Global Fashion Agenda, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Attended by the Patron, Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark for The Next Level talks regarding  many aspects of the Fashion Industry and the Global Crisis.

Attended by Industry Leaders to talk about Government Legislation in the European Union and U.S. The mounting waste crisis, the environmental impacts, over production & consumption issues, sustainable fashion processes, fabric innovation and recycling technology. 130 speakers were moderated by the world’s most prominent Fashion Journalist. Also attending were major Brands from Luxury to Fast Fashion and the second hand market, Representatives from Government, Designers, Manufactures, Supply Chains, Fair Work and Farmers. This helped me gain great connections, global perspective, deeper understanding and knowledge to further communicate the why, how and what next to my audiences.

Eco chic sustainable Wardrobe Workshop, Co presenter Rachel Wood from Wunder Weave who talked about the importance of fixing our clothes, repurposing unwanted clothing and leaning some basic sewing skills. My talk was about sustainable wardrobes fabric education, fast changing fashion industry and why Australia is moving to a circular economy, what does it all mean, wardrobe planning and colour analysis.

It was a great venue and the team at City of Boroondara were great organisers to make this happen and create a great day. There was alot of engagement after the event, as people felt the learnings were so helpful, they wanted to talk more.

Being interviewed about your expertise is so much fun, knowing you are helping a wider audience. It was a pleasure to work with Anushya Safira who is a Board member of the Malaysia Chapter and the Co-Chair of the AICI Global Sustainability Committee, who is also passionate about educating and making change to her culture and community.

It was a really enjoyable experience working with Katrina Naish from A Fitting Connection joining forces with Council for a clothing swap morning. While the collection and set up of a clothing exchange was being organised, I kept the crowd entertained for a 1 hour workshop on how to make better choices and create a more versatile sustainable wardrobe. The Hawthorn Arts Centre is a really beautiful space to work in and so lucky to have such great organisers around me to make this happen.

I was so thrilled to have a queue of attendees wanting to talk to me individually after my talk with so many interested in the colour talk and wanted guidance.

A City of Boroondara collaboration with A Fitted Connection and Upcycle 4 Better about the Virtues of Slow Fashion. Held at the Hawthorn Art Centre with another guest speaker from a Preloved Clothing boutique. We could have talked all night about fashion waste, fast fashion, slow fashion, recycling, repurpose, buying and selling preloved clothing, qualities of clothing fabrics, tips on creating better systems in your wardrobe, laundering, alterations, renting, buying what you need, versatile pieces for your wardrobes over flowing, mix and matching our clothes, colour co-ordination, why we buy the same things, impulse buying, better planning and what to look for , what to do with our clothing waste clothes that won’t ever break down, over production, recycled polyester not helping our environment and we ran out of time.

I was invited to produce a sustainability campaign for the Festival’s runway show and create an exhibition. As the event was a Farm to Fashion theme, I created an awareness campaign about merino wool, highlighting it’s positive carbon impact on the environment and planet., helping people to understand the impact of fabrics on fashion waste. The campaign was called Look for Wool and is an ongoing awareness and education program. It was such an enjoyable event with so many locals already very aware and conscious about sustainability.

After receiving the AICI Global Philanthropy Award, I was invited by the Chair to join the Committee to help educate the members and create the framework to educate Fashion and Image Consultants worldwide.

I enjoy connecting with many other cultures and find it really interesting to hear what other countries are doing about sustainable fashion initiatives around the world.

I was honoured to be recognised and receive this prestigious Award for my work on the Australia Chapter Board for 2 years, helping the members of the community to remain supported, educated and engaged over the pandenmic. Sustainable Fashion education, newsletters, online event organisation, magazine content, interview series, and general communications to our members was hard work but enjoyable working with other like minded fashion professionals and connecting with so many others during a difficult time.

I was asked by another business owner to write an article for her newsletter subscription about Fashion and it was so well received, the article called Fashion and the Impact on the Planet, was published in the AICI Global Magazine in the Sustainability Issue. Writing about your expertise is a great way to share your knowledge and help spread the important information.

Interviewing people can be so much fun and educational. It’s an informal setting and no one has to rehearse, so as it’s a very relaxed way to find out answers, it usually uncovers much more than first intended. I create a rough script before the interview so there are no surprises. A time frame is always given and that’s what helps plan the questions. I have worked around the clock to interview in different time zones. Never easy doing an interview at midnight, but it’s always an enjoyable experience. 

I created a 5 part interview series, to help educate the members and email subscribers of the Association of Image Consulting International (AICI).

Samia Laboudi from our AICI New York Office who had presented a webinar to our Global community about thinking Consciously about Fashion. Two AICI Conference Presenters, Ann Vodicka and Emma McDermott about Can Online Shopping be Sustainable. Dr Susy Bello Knoll, from our AICI Argentina Office, and Chair of the AICI Global Sustainability Committee about forming a 28 member committee to help educate Image Consultants around the world about sustainable fashion practices. Jo Puplett, an AICI member in South Australia who ran Op Shop Tours, Lalita Lowe, from Hobart, a Fashion Designer and Author of It’s Time to Rethink Your Fashion.

Work with Sue Maree