Opting not to waste, Madre Natura shows last season's clothing at Australian Fashion Week

Sustainable Australian fashion label Madre Natura recently broke from tradition by choosing not to debut a new collection at this year's Australian Fashion Week. Instead, the brand took a stance against wasteful practices by presenting The Last Season Collection — its previous line, which it is committed to selling out entirely before launching new designs. With Australians sending 500 million kilograms of clothing to landfills annually, Madre Natura declined to contribute further.

The brand live-streamed the runway show for The Last Season Collection on TikTok, where viewers could shop the looks in real-time as models walked. Its use of TikTok drove the show viral while emphasizing that Madre Natura's new collection would not appear until every piece from the previous season was sold. 

Madre Natura has already made a name for itself as an impact-driven, slow-fashion label; its clothing is made locally in Sydney, for example, and each piece comes with free lifetime repairs. But the brand's decision to opt out of showing new designs at AFW24 is a powerful demonstration of putting sustainability claims and values into direct practice. One for other designers and retailers to consider?