A Community Threaded Together – Meet the Charity Clothing Flood Victims
- Words by Peppermint
As Mr Rogers is so often quoted as saying, in times of disaster “look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
In the wake of the devastation caused by the recent floods across the east coast of Australia, we have seen a great many inspiring acts of human kindness from individuals donating what they can and volunteering their time to companies, corporations and charities moving where they can to help those affected.
One such charity is Thread Together, which has set up emergency pop-up clothing hubs in Lismore, Milton and Indooroopilly to ensure each and every individual who is affected by the recent flooding can easily access clean clothing.
The facts are these – one in eight Australian adults and one in six Australian children do not have access to adequate essential clothing, while one third of new clothing goes from factory to landfill without ever being bought or worn.
Thread Together was founded in 2012 by Andie Halas, who had a novel idea to kill two birds with one stone and combat two persistent societal and environmental problems at the same time.
Saving new clothing from landfill – protecting the environment from the nonsensical whims of capitalism – Thread Together donates it for free to people in need – protecting vulnerable people from the nonsensical whims of capitalism – in an ingeniously ethical solution to keep clothes in circulation. After collecting end-of-line stock from fashion retailers around the country, the clothes are sorted by volunteers in order to be distributed to people in need through their national network of charities as well as their mobile wardrobe vans, pop-up clothing hubs and online wardrobe services.
READ MORE – We Will Rebuild: Meaningful Ways You Can Help Those Affected by the Floods
Clothing is an oft-overlook essential human need. Not only do people deserve to be clean and warm in good quality clothing, they should also have the dignity of liking their clothes, having an element of choice and agency over their wardrobe. The self-worth, confidence and happiness that fashion can provide should not be limited to those who can afford it and restricted from those who cannot.
Since 2012, Thread Together has clothed over 500,000 individuals with wardrobes consisting of 20–35 items, depending on the circumstances of the individual, and diverted thousands of tonnes of new fashion from landfill. Its partnerships have grown to include over 700 fashion partners – including St Agni, Dharma Bums and Luna & Sun – and over 500 charities and social service agencies nationwide.
Recognised as a first responder to natural disasters in 2020, Thread Together helps those affected by disaster or tragedy as well as Indigenous communities, vulnerable aged individuals, those who are financially disadvantaged, marginalised communities, new arrivals to the country seeking refuge, people experiencing homelessness, at-risk youth, survivors of domestic violence, people returning to the community from incarceration, long term unemployed, people with physical or intellectual disabilities or those experiencing mental health crises, and rural, regional and remote communities.
Anyone interested in volunteering, partnering with or partaking of the services offered by Thread Together can find more information on its website.
photos VIA FACEBOOK
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
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Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
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My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
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This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
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Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
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Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
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It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
