Waste Not, Want Not: Victorian sustainability with a Kiwi sartorial twist
Every year in New Zealand, according to Greenpeace, approximately 180,000 tonnes of clothing and textile waste - equivalent to 6,429 shipping containers - is thrown away into landfills!
In this age of fast fashion, it is worth looking back at how clothes and textiles were treated in the past.
The average 19th century New Zealander did not have an extensive wardrobe. Women and men owned a few pieces of workwear and one good outfit for Sundays. A best dress was usually a wedding dress (not white then), tailored over time in response to changing fashions.
The ethos of ‘waste not, want not’ governed every aspect of life. In the crowded, industrial cities of Victorian England, clothes had a long lifecycle. The wealthy cast off garments to their servants, which were in turn handed down the social ladder. Passing through families, they were sold and resold, patched, repaired, and adjusted until they were barely threads.
Even tiny scraps had value. Rag and bone pickers sifted through refuse, salvaging material, old rope, sacking – anything with fibres – that could be recycled into textiles (e.g sailcloth, matting).
At home, scraps and remnants were recycled into rag rugs, for protecting feet on chilly hardwood floors (you may have made one yourself at Howick Historical Village!). Quilting also evolved out of this ready supply – fabric scraps were treasured relics, sharing the stories of family members in vibrant, patchwork patterns.
‘Make do and Mend’. In the 1940s when the war effort dominated, this slogan encouraged fabric repair and re-use, thrifting and creative recycling. Garments were repurposed at home – men’s suits refashioned into women’s outfits, old blankets became dresses, even parachute silks transformed into bridal gowns!
The time has come to value clothes again! And an Aucklander in a refitted caravan named Florence has come to the rescue.
Sally Webster, who started Florence Saves Clothes in 2023, parks her van at pop-up sites around the city, and at homes and workplaces by appointment, providing planet-saving mending and alterations. With Sally’s help you can re-hem, re-seam, and remodel your way to a fabulous eco-friendly wardrobe, with clothing remade to last, rather than being tossed away.
Florence will be parked at Howick Historical Village on the next LIVE DAY on Sunday 14 September! Come along from 10am-4pm to chat to Sally who will be sharing top tips and stories to inspire you to give tired clothes a second chance, as well doing as on-the-spot repairs for a small fee, if you have an item in need of care.
