The original freestyle upcycling workshop for young creatives.

As seen on Better Homes & Gardens, Flip Fashion Forever is a totally different kind of sewing workshop — no patterns, no pressure, and 100% made from rescued textiles. Kids and teens thrift their own “project starters” from Re Place, Sydney’s huge secondhand clothing warehouse, using the Thrift Vouchers included in their ticket.

From there, it’s pure creative play: unpicking, reshaping, hand-sewing, embroidering, mending, adding trims, reworking T-shirts, turning jeans into skirts, or inventing something entirely new. Think finger-painting — but with textiles. There’s no “right” stitch and no one-size-fits-all preset projects. Kids learn by doing, experimenting, making mistakes, problem solving.

Each day's workshop is guided by our team of Gen Z fashion talents — emerging designers, HSC and Uni textiles students, fashion-school grads and circular fashion advocates. Mentors include Eden Maytal, Samara Darling, Daisy Rose Cooper, Emily Hon (all AFW Innovators), and Siobhan Killen (UTS FESS), alongside 20+ young creatives who make slow fashion feel exciting, accessible and cool.

Why upcycling?
Because it’s hands-on climate action that teens already understand. Thrifting is huge, thrift flipping is a global trend, and reworking existing garments lets neurodiverse learners understand construction without the stress of patterns or rigid steps.

Every material we use is waste: offcuts, deadstock, damaged garments and textile scraps donated by op shops and recycling hubs.

Workshops are held at the Inner West Sustainability Hub’s Green Living Centre, fully set up with sewing machines, mannequins, supplies, bins of rescued fabrics, and all the tools needed to bring each young designer’s vision to life.

No two projects are the same. No two days are the same. And by the end of the session, every participant walks away with a one-of-a-kind creation — and the confidence that comes from reimagining fashion as something we do, not something we buy.

Contact the host of Flip Fashion Forever October 2026