We had the pleasure of chatting with artist, maker, and loyal customer of Reverse Garbage, the incredible Anahi!
We love your passion for reuse, fashion, and sustainability, and we love how you use your platform to spread this important message. Can you share your journey in becoming a maker and advocate of sustainable practices?
My parents love nature and I have grown up in a sustainable environment. I am from Gasteiz, Basque Country which has been Green European capital and is widely known for sustainability.
I’ve always been a very curious person and since I was very little I loved to paint and create. My mother put me in lots of different workshops since I was very little which helped me to develop my creativity.
My mother is very creative and has always been upcycling. Most of the clothes I wore as a child were made by my mother.
I still remember how she made me some furniture for my Barbie by upcycling cardboard and scrap fabrics. They were very popular at school! She is a diy queen, my creativity definitely comes from her.
I love slow fashion, it’s not only more sustainable, it’s more unique and interesting. Whenever I attend a red carpet or event, I wear slow fashion to show how beautiful and unique it is and spread the word. Usually I arrive cycling which is my mode of transport.
My ethos is to do what you can, small changes in our lifestyle can result in big changes collectively. As Anne Marie Bonneau said “We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.”
Your stunning orange coat, skirt, and beret are real show-stoppers! Can you tell us the story behind these fabulous pieces?
Thank you! I fell in love with the colour of this vintage blanket and I couldn’t resist to buy it. It’s vintage and Australian made which guarantees high quality. My initial idea was to make only a coat but ended up loving it and I made a matching skirt and beret. I still want to make some matching shoes, waistcoat and a bag in the future.
This was the first coat I’ve made and as expected it took me many days to design the pattern and make it, but it was totally worth it!
I wore this set for the Australian Fashion Week and ended up being interviewed by the ABC news based on the sustainable fashion/upcycling theme.
We noticed you attended Fashion Week recently. Give us the tea! From your perspective, is reuse in fashion having a moment right now?
I think preloved and slow fashion is little by little more present in our society including the Australian Fashion Week.
People and media are starting to see its value. It’s not only more beautiful and interesting but also sustainable.
I wish everyone expressed themselves through their clothes, we are all very different. It would be very interesting and fun to see! It’s sad to walk these days in the streets and see how most people are wearing very similar clothing with no personality and the reason behind this often comes down to fast/trash fashion. Buying quality over quantity is key. If you are on a tight budget, you can always find real gems in OP shops and of course Reverse Garbage.
When you visit Reverse Garbage, what kinds of materials and items do you typically look for to fuel your creative projects?
I always check the fabrics and buttons section which I don’t get tired of recommending it to my friends. There are always little treasures ready to be discovered.
Are there any other makers or influencers in the reuse space that you follow and think more people should know about? We’d love to hear your recommendations!
@convertedcloset is a master of upcycling garments, she converts preloved clothes into high fashion. It’s always very inspiring to see her creations and the process behind them. If you don’t know her, you definitely should check her profile out. She is incredibly talented as well as a slow fashion advocate.