Fast Fashun and Snuff Puppets create Wasteworlds, a dystopian fashion experience coming to Abbotsford Convent this October.
Welcome to Abbotsford Convent in 2125, where clothing waste has buried the planet and your only chance of survival involves safety pins, creativity and some serious runway swagger. Fast Fashun teams up with Melbourne’s giant puppet masters Snuff Puppets for Wasteworlds, a wild five-day experience that transforms textile trash into high fashion, as part of Melbourne Fringe.
Wasteworlds drops participants into a post-apocalyptic landscape where humanity’s last hope lies in transforming debris into runway gold. Fast Fashun and Snuff Puppets have created an interactive installation that challenges audiences to cut, rip, pin and stitch their way to salvation while strutting down a makeshift catwalk.
Wasteworlds at Abbotsford Convent
- Where: Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford
- When: Kids workshops 1-3 October, 10am and 12:30pm sessions ($7/$20)
- When: All ages runway workshop 4 October, 12pm (masked), 2pm (Auslan), 4pm ($20/$30)
- When: Recovery exhibition 5 October, 11am-3pm (free)
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
View this post on Instagram
Kids workshops kick things off from 1-3 October at Abbotsford Convent, letting young designers aged four to 12 team up with their grown-ups to create runway looks from textile debris. No prior fashion experience required – just enthusiasm for turning waste into wearable art.
The main event is a six-hour runway workshop where participants create their own outfits from textile waste before showcasing them on the catwalk. Three sessions accommodate different needs, including masked and Auslan-interpreted options, proving that post-apocalyptic fashion should be accessible to everyone.
Collaboration brings together Fast Fashun’s sharp commentary on mass consumption culture with Snuff Puppets’ expertise in large-scale sculptural worlds. Together they’ve created a space where environmental crisis becomes creative catalyst, complete with a giant clothes monster puppet sporting 10-metre arms that’ll either inspire or terrify workshop participants.
The whole interactive experience wraps up on 5 October with Wasteworlds: Recovery, a free exhibition space for quiet contemplation of the textile aftermath.
Fast Fashun specialises in performance and installation works exploring fashion, consumption and identity, while Snuff Puppets are internationally recognised for large-scale puppet theatre and immersive art installations. Their collaboration transforms urgent environmental concerns into hands-on creative action, and next month it’s time for Abbotsford Convent to be overrun.
For more information, head here.
