A cleverly named and authentically managed project, Not Sew New (NSN) is a Naarm-based fashion upcycling brand by graphic design graduate Ava Lauren (she/her). NSN creates garments and accessories out of pre-existing materials and clothing items to bring them new life. The namesake speaks for itself, but is representative of Ava’s goal to never bring brand new items into the world. With a versatile range of uniquely designed garments and accessories, such as the ProtoTie Bag, It is her mission to provide a platform for people to shop upcycled clothing and accessories that are made to last forever. NSN promotes individual expression by creating items that challenge trend culture and are all completely unique.
Originally from the Northern beaches of Eora, Ava (she/her) moved to Naarm a couple of years ago to further her creative studies - recently graduating from a Diploma of Graphic Design. Whilst considering studying fashion and textiles, she felt that most courses were tailored to constructing garments to industry standard. In contrast to these options, Ava has been most interested in different parts of the industry and began a self-taught path. Not quite ready to start her own business yet, Ava acquired the skills through studying graphic design, as well as photography and digital manipulation, as a stepping stone into learning about online framework and marketing for her plan to work in the creative industry.
“Over this time, I’ve been learning my way around multiple sewing machines and experimenting with different upcycling techniques. I have always felt really passionate about waste and wanting to find a new purpose for old things so it only made sense to carry this value through to my work.”
Ava’s personal style is extremely fluid and mainly represents a true expression of her emotions or phase of life that she is experiencing at the time. Constantly inspired in many ways by people and places that she goes to, it can be defined as a mash of all that put together.
“I’ve never had a consistent style but more so an appreciation of certain pieces that resonate with me at certain times. I’ve grown up shopping second hand so I think a lot of my style has always been putting certain pieces together to create the final look which helps me to feel strong and empowered each day. I have always altered and created clothing for friends and myself, so I have finally come around to the idea and begun to take steps towards monetising my creative outlet lol. In all honesty I couldn’t really imagine doing anything else, fashion and expression have always been something I’m super drawn towards.”
The main motivation for NSN is to constantly practice creativity and share the message of sustainability with the world. The vision is to inspire individuals to shop from recycled clothing brands and purchase items that exist outside the realm of trend culture. It is SO important to Ava to encourage authentic expression in the community and provide clothing and accessories that align not only with people’s style but their values too. Everything at Not Sew New is made to last forever and to be that cherished piece in your wardrobe that makes you feel like you. NSN is an ever changing project that explores the possibility of what existing materials can become.
The ProtoTie Bag (pictured below) is Not Sew New’s first iconic creation, with the first prototype made in July 2022, but had never planned on replicating it until receiving encouragement from friends, and was soon given the opportunity to sell them at a pop up. Ava had the idea in her head for over 6 months before deciding to make her first bag:
“One of those genius ideas I had in my head one night when I couldn’t sleep.Alas I named it the ProtoTie bag because it has been the complete prototype for starting my business and obviously it’s made out of Ties.”
Like many other young designers, the environmental mission is incredibly important to Ava. Partaking in the cycle of trend culture as a young teen, her developing love for style and fashion has already exposed her to the horrors of the industry. Once owning multiple mass-produced clothing items of the lowest quality from companies, which capitalized on the insecurities of young people, Ava has since been able to reflect how badly this impacted both her sense of self and the environment. This experience has made her so determined to change the way people view fashion and to inspire people to wear whatever the fuck they want.
“I think owning a small upcycled clothing business can be my small contribution to provide people with another option to buy something that is made from second-hand materials and is made to be unique.”
Throughout the entire process of creating garments, Ava has sustainability in mind. When it comes to sourcing materials, almost everything Ava uses is from an op shop or market. She admits to spending a ridiculous amount of time searching for the right ingredients all around Melbourne and even outside of the city too. She’s also the first to admit that it’s a much trickier process than buying new things, but it feels rewarding when people support you and understand why you do it. There still remains a necessity to buy new, such as some small hardware pieces or labels, but this is a small compromise in the grand scheme of Ava’s commitments. When it comes to dying fabric, she has been continuing to experiment with a few techniques using natural materials that she’s working towards perfecting.
Ava’s efforts reflect the things she would like to see change in the mainstream industry. First and foremost, she hopes to see the pioneers of the fashion industry bring down trend culture and inspire individuals to shop more thoughtfully, speak out about the mass consumption of this toxic culture and inspire people to be themselves when it comes to their personal style.
“So many people engage in purchasing cheap knock off items only to be used for a short time. I think this issue is often overlooked in the scheme of sustainability and feel that it could be a great step in the right direction. I think this also comes hand in hand with celebrating diversity in the fashion industry and helping the wider society feel like there’s a place for everyone.”
As Not Sew New continues to expand, Ava is excited to grow with her community in the industry and work with people who also value individual expression as much as she does. She has a couple of collaborations coming up, as well as a project with other upcycled designers. Based on her belief that it's important for creatives to work together to promote their side of the industry and why they do what they do:
“I think it’s exciting to exist at a time where we can create avenues for change through our craft. It’s really inspiring to be among the movement towards creating more sustainable options for people to choose from. I find that I learn the most in the presence of other creatives so I can see a lot of collaborative projects in my future.”
