One Year On: From Fashion Marketplace to Collective Voice

This time last year, Project Emerald attended the Tasmanian Fashion Festival primarily as a circular fashion marketplace.

This year, we returned as something broader: a media platform, a community, and a growing movement built around listening to women, sharing their stories, and turning collective wisdom into meaningful action. In many ways, the weekend brought the evolution of Project Emerald Collective to life.

Bringing Circular Fashion to the Festival

As Exhibition Coordinator for this year’s Tasmanian Fashion Festival, I was proud to help bring a stronger circular fashion presence to the program.

• The Circular Wardrobe Exchange: Enabled more than 80 people to bring clothing they no longer wore and exchange it for something new to them—extending the life of quality garments while creating a joyful, accessible way to experience circular fashion.

• The Circular Runway & Exhibition: Created space for designers, artists, businesses, and organizations challenging the traditional fashion system, demonstrating what is possible when creativity, sustainability, and collaboration come together.

Circular fashion has always been central to our story. While our work is evolving, I remain deeply committed to helping people reconsider what they buy, value what they already own, and recognize the potential held within what already exists.

Why "I Have Nothing to Wear" is Rarely Just About Clothes

I had the privilege of hosting the panel discussion, Why I Have Nothing to Wear, alongside Tanya Ellis, Tamika Bannister, and Sharon Craggill. On the surface, this might sound like a conversation about wardrobes, but that familiar feeling often points to something much deeper.

Our bodies change. Our roles change. Our lives and identities evolve. Yet our wardrobes can remain connected to an earlier version of ourselves—or become crowded with clothing shaped by trends, expectations, and impulse rather than who we are today. It was a conversation about clothing, but it was also about identity, confidence, consumption, and giving ourselves permission to change.

Hearing the Story Before Seeing the Design

One of my proudest moments was watching the designers I had interviewed for the Project Emerald Collective Podcast bring their work to life on the runway. Having already heard the inspirations, personal experiences, and creative direction behind their collections completely transformed how I experienced the designs:

• Natalie Hamblin: The environmental advocacy behind her wearable art became clear.

• Olga Blake McKenzie: The courage, resilience, and storytelling woven into her work stood out.

• Olivia Robertson: The discipline, mentorship, and determination behind the 14-year-old’s design resonated deeply.

• Jessica Lawrence: The sense of place, self-expression, and female empowerment in her Map of Tassie collection shone through.

A runway shows us what a designer has created, but conversation helps us understand why she created it—and what she hopes we might see, question, or feel through her work.

Explore the Designer Conversations

Watch the full playlist in the carousel above, or dive into individual stories:

• From Waste to Wearable Art: Creativity, Activism, and Change with Natalie Hamblin

• Wear Our Stories: Courage, Creativity, and Sustainable Fashion with Olga Blake McKenzie

• 14-Year-Old Fashion Designer: Purpose, Family, and Growing Up Without Screens with Olivia Robertson

• It’s Your Turn: Backing Yourself, Dressing for You, and Beginning Again with Jessica Lawrence

Making Space for Women’s Voices

Our Activation Wall was perhaps the clearest expression of where Project Emerald Collective is heading. We asked a single question:

"What do you wish the world understood about being a woman?"

Throughout the day, women stopped to reflect and add their voices. Some responses were a few words; others shared deeply personal, vulnerable, frustrated, hopeful, or powerful experiences. Together, they became a visible expression of collective wisdom—and a reminder of how much women are carrying, questioning, and longing to say.

The wall was never intended to be the end of the conversation; it was an invitation to begin one. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be reflecting on what women shared and exploring how these voices can shape our content, community, and future direction.

One year on, Project Emerald’s involvement in the Tasmanian Fashion Festival looked very different—but it felt more aligned than ever. From circular fashion and thoughtful conversation to creative storytelling and women adding their voices to the wall, the weekend showed us what Project Emerald Collective can become when we create space not only to be seen, but to be heard.

Take Your Power Back. One conscious choice at a time.