2026
6 & 7 November
CIT Woden Campus
Ngunnawal Country, Canberra
Photos by Mikhail Lipyanskiy
Join us for a vibrant act of creative dissent transforming fashion, design and live performance into expressions of care, resistance and positive change.
Presented by the visionary Australian Dance Party, sustainable fashion pioneer Kelli Donovan, and the Canberra Institute of Technology, Clothing the Loop brings together experts and community in a celebration of circular design.
Launching on the opening weekend of the 2026 Craft + Design Canberra Festival, experience spectacular inspiring performances, fashion parades, thought-provoking conversations, interactive workshops, installations, clothes swap, and architecture tours that harness the power of sustainable thinking.
This is more than a festival. It is an invitation to be a part of a joyful rebellion against waste, and to build a future of creative care.
Come curious. Leave inspired.
Tickets have launched! Book Now
SATURDAY 7 NOVEMBER: FULL DAY GATHERING
Panels (Included in day pass)
Fashion Circles
MC: Nina Gbor (Australia Institute, Eco Styles)
11am - 12:15pm
Panelists explore how they wear their values, culture and nature through fashion design, and why this is important amidst ultra fast fashion and homogeneity? How can we instil a renewed sense of value to the clothing we put on our backs?
MC: Nina Gbor (Australia Institute, Eco styles)
Performing Circles
MC: Alison Plevey & Sara Black (ADP)
3 - 4pm
How can we sustainably design for live performance (costume, set, production design, music)? Or imagine ways to engage in regenerative design through performance and design processes? How do we embed this ethos in the culture of the performing arts, and from the very beginning of a production? Includes Q&A session with the audience.
Panellists include:
Chris Mercer (Yerrabingin, Theatre Green Book, Production designer)
Fi Hopkins (WASTED - Costume designer)
Ren Kenward (Belvoir St Theatre)
Dan Mcginnity (Byrd - Visual artist/installation)
Clodagh Crowe (Art Director ABC TV - Playschool and Garden Australia Junior)
Home Circles
MC: Jenny Edwards (FixItChicks)
4 - 5pm
Panelists explore issues of circular design in architecture and interiors, including innovations, technology and creative approaches that are changing design practice. Includes Q&A session with the audience.
Panelists include: Sarah Cochrane (interior designer), Gray Puksand (CIT Architects) and more.
Workshops (Add-ons)
Yarn Stick Weaving with Clarrissa Fugill
10 - 11am
Tickets: $25
Clarrissa, of First nations fashion label Harry's Clarry, leads a fun, creative and cultural session of making Yarn sticks.
Yarn sticks can be made using sticks, feathers, tree nuts, shells and old fibres. This art really allows us to explore and think more about sustainability by reusing items, and using what nature has given us. In Aboriginal culture, message sticks were made from responsibly sourced native woods and were beautifully carved and/or painted with symbols, colors, and designs to facilitate communication among various clans, nations, and language groups.
Today, the yarning stick serves as a tool that encourages respectful and empowering conversation. Sitting together builds connection and strong relationships. It allows us to come together and to be present. This art form is beneficial for eye-hand coordination, exploring nature. Getting creative, playing with colours & textures.
Materials provided!
Slow Stitch Necklaces: Reimagining Textile Waste with Rosalie Rose
10 - 11:30am
Tickets: $65 / $50 C+DC members
In a world of fast fashion and constant consumption, slow stitching offers an opportunity to pause, make with intention and reconsider what we value. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll transform small pieces of fabric into a hand-stitched ornament or wearable necklace, exploring the creative possibilities of materials that might otherwise be discarded. Through simple stitching techniques, you’ll explore how discarded and leftover fabrics can be reimagined into something beautiful, useful and personal. Choose from a selection of leftover and reclaimed fabrics, experiment with colour, texture and stitching, and create your own unique piece with guidance the artist.
All materials are provided, and no previous stitching experience is required.
This workshop is hosted by Craft + Design Canberra.
Sewing Machine Basics with Nikki Hogan
2 sessions
10am - 11am / 3 - 4pm
Tickets: $25
Save your clothes from landfill and save on tailoring expenses!
In this workshop join Nikki Hogan as you ignite basic sewing machine skills, such as setting up and operating a sewing machine to hem and reinforce, repair and repurpose your textiles and fashion.
Machines and materials provided!
Recycled Hexies Quilt Workshop with Crystal Prior
3 - 4pm
Tickets: $25
Learn an easy ‘quilt-as-you-go’ hexagon technique that turns small pieces of recycled fabric into a warm, colourful quilt – one hexie at a time. In this workshop, Crystal from Raspberry Spool will demonstrate how to create quilted hexagons using reclaimed fabrics, old clothing, textile scraps and repurposed blankets or other soft materials for the inner layer.
No sewing machine or quilting experience is needed. The technique is simple, portable and very forgiving. The focus is on slow stitching, creative reuse and giving existing textiles another life.
Materials are provided!
Tours (Add-ons)
11:30am - 12:15pm
Tickets: $5 + BF / GST
A guided tour of the CIT building with the architects Gray Puksand, focusing on their sustainable design approach to this state-of-the-art new facility.
11:30am - 12pm
Tickets: $5 + BF / GST
A guided tactile tour of the festival exhibitions and installations, where participants enjoy an immersive experience hearing stories from the designers and exploring the textures of the materials and fabrics on display.
Get involved in Clothing the Loop: Circular Design Festival
Applications for stall holders are now open.
Applications close soon!
Please read the below information sheet before applying.
Be a Stallholder
We're looking for 20 stallholders that are creating sustainable or circular design products that tell a story, spark conversation and help reshape the future of design.
Circular Design. Radical Creativity.
Sell your products during Clothing the Loop Festival events of Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November.
In 2025, Clothing the Loop saw 600+ people passing through the event.
Do you see beauty where others see waste?
Apply now by completing the EOI form.
Be a Model
Do you want to model for a sustainable designer?
We are looking for models of all genders, sizes, races, and expressions for our Evening Spectacular parade on Friday 6 November.
Apply now by completing the EOI form.
Volunteers Wanted!
Join the movement and be a part of a positive act of dissent towards circular design.
We are looking for passionate, energetic and creative volunteers for many different types of volunteer roles across the festival events, from checking tickets, to way finding, to assisting with our workshops.
Apply now to be part of the rebellion.
Partnership Opportunities
Be a part of the circular design rebellion.
We are looking for event partners who champion sustainable practices, Canberra as a City of Design, and who back their local community.
Check out the Clothing the Loop Prospectus for sponsorship opportunities that support us to deliver a high quality event whilst you expand your brand visibility and identity.
Clothing the Loop 2025
Photos by Ghetto Media
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