The Magic of Making: Honouring Hands and Stories for Fashion Revolution Week

Growing up, I would watch my mum spread out her cutting board across the lounge room floor, carefully smoothing bright 80’s prints into place. With a few confident movements, she'd start cutting into the fabric, her hands sure and steady. I would sit and watch in awe, little legs crossed on the carpet, mesmerised by what felt like pure magic.

Soon after, Mum would disappear into her sewing room. Hours later, she would reappear — not empty-handed, but holding a brand-new dress she had stitched together herself.
If I was lucky, and there was some fabric left over, she would make a miniature version just for me.

As a little girl, it felt like the most incredible alchemy: a transformation of raw materials into something beautiful, practical, and full of love. That early memory planted a seed deep within me — a reverence for the handmade, for creativity, and for the care that stitches meaning into our lives.

Last week marked Fashion Revolution Week, a powerful annual reminder of why I do what I do with Spiritus Eco Clothing.
Born in response to the devastating Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh in 2013, Fashion Revolution Week calls on all of us — makers, brands, and consumers — to ask important questions:
Who made my clothes? How were they made? At what cost to people and the planet?

In today's fast-paced, digitised world, it's easy to forget that real hands touch every garment we wear. Many hands, in fact — from farmers growing fibres to the artisans weaving, dyeing, sewing, and finishing each piece. Clothing doesn’t magically appear in stores. It is a human story, woven together one careful step at a time.

I'm reminded of the moment that changed everything for me:
While working for a large wholesale fast fashion company years ago, I came across a jacket with a faulty zipper. It was an easy fix — something that could have been mended with a needle and thread in under five minutes.
But instead, I was told to throw it onto a towering pile of discarded clothing. Company policy was clear: they didn't fix garments — they simply threw them out.

That moment broke something open in me.
It sparked the journey that led to the creation of Spiritus Eco Clothing, where we honour the maker's hands, the Earth’s resources, and the human stories woven into every piece.

In a world becoming increasingly disconnected and digital, we need this human connection more than ever.
When we value the hands behind our clothes, we start valuing the world a little more tenderly, too.

This Fashion Revolution Week — and beyond — I invite you to:
✨ Honour your clothes.
✨ Repair and rewear.
✨ Ask questions about where and how your clothes are made.
✨ And remember that a t-shirt should not cost the same as your morning coffee.

When you choose to buy consciously, when you treat your garments with care, when you vote with your purse for brands that value people and planet — you’re helping to create a more just, beautiful, and sustainable future.
I truly believe we can change the system, together.

Thank you for being part of this movement,
and for keeping the magic alive.
🌿