Project 10
CYCLE PROJECT 10 2026

Circular Campus to Community

Circular Campus to Community

Long Story, Short

This collaborative and connected circularity-based project brings together RMIT and Merri-bek City Council to deliver knowledge and skills sharing activities, focused on fibre and food systems across the Brunswick campus and wider Merri-bek communities.

What We’re Exploring

The ‘Circular Campus to Community’ (CCC) Project is a collaboration between RMIT University and Merri-bek City Council, which seeks to practically foster just, place-based circularity efforts by delivering activities to connect the RMIT Brunswick campus community with the wider Merri-bek community. This project encourages skills and knowledge sharing, engagement with indigenous knowledge systems and improved circular understanding and practices through a range of experiments, workshops, activations, and events focused on fibre and food systems. The activities will align with five key action streams: Regenerate, Repair, Recycle, Redesign, Rethink.

 

CCC Making Workshops Program

June – November 2026

Wed 17 Jun       5:00–7:00pm       Darn It! Fixing Knitwear Holes

Wed 24 Jun      5:00–7:00pm       My Little Curtain Making Workshop

Wed 1 Jul          5:00–7:00pm       Sashiko Stitching & Denim Repair

Thurs 2 Jul       5:00–7:00pm       Patch Cutting & Stash Swap for Garment Mending

Wed 8 Jul         5:00–7:00pm       Sashiko Stitching & Denim Repair

Wed 8 Jul         5:00–7:00pm       (re)Print Workshop

Wed 15 Jul       5:00–7:00pm       (re)Print Workshop

Tues 25 Aug     5:00–7:00pm       Zero Waste Pattern Making Exploration

Mon 31 Aug      5:00–7:00pm       This Is Not a Shoe – Footwear Deconstruction and Flat-Lay Artwork Workshop

Tues 15 Sept    2:00–4:00pm       Student-Led Community Repair Session

Wed 30 Sept    4:00–6:00pm      Sensory Walk

Wed 11 Nov       5:00–7:00pm       T-Shirt Transformations: Alter/Redesign a T-Shirt

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Project Team

Plants alongside a thin tray holding rocks and water, with someone's arm reaching towards it in a colourful sleeved garment.

Greening, Growing, Gathering: Seeding Regenerative Futures Interactive Workshop

Wed 18 Nov 2026
3:00pm – 5:00pm

The Hanger, Building 516, Level 2, Room 1, RMIT University Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick 3056

FREE Workshop

Register now

Join us for Greening, Growing, Gathering: Seeding Regenerative Futures an interactive workshop exploring opportunities to green our surroundings, in support of a more diverse, inclusive and regenerative environment.

A part of the RMIT x Merri-bek City Council collaborative project – Circular Campus to Community this event brings together practical ideas and activities around circularity, biodiversity, and regenerative practices.

Through presentations and roundtable discussions, attendees will have the opportunity to consider how local greening can also connect with fashion & textiles practices; and how small steps towards inclusive, diverse, circular environments can move us towards a more regenerative society.

Whether you enjoy gardening, are interested in botanical dyes and natural fabric dyeing, see potential in greening underutilised urban spaces, or are simply curious to learn more, we welcome you to join this workshop.

Participants will leave with new connections, shared insights, and practical ideas for taking small steps towards regenerative futures.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Please note this is an in-person event.

Heat transfer vinyl onto a T-shirt.

T-Shirt Transformations: Alter/Redesign a T-Shirt

Wed 11 Nov 2026
5:00pm – 7:00pm

The Hanger, Building 516, Level 2, Room 1, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

$35 per person
$25 per student

Led by Sang Thai
RMIT University

Contact:
yassie.samie@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Have you got a t-shirt you wish you could alter or restyle?

Join our hands-on 2-hour workshop where you will get to rework a t-shirt to better fit your body and reflect your style.

This session will give you insight into how to make a t-shirt bigger, smaller, shorter, tighter, looser or even gathered.

Bring your own garment or choose from a selection of second-hand t-shirts provided, and explore simple techniques to adjust fit, design and add new graphic elements.

This session invites you to rethink how clothing can be adapted for diverse bodies while extending the life of everyday garments.

We will provide: Assorted heat transfer vinyl, elastics and trims.

Please bring with you: 1+ t-shirts for altering (own wardrobe, second-hand). There will be a limited selection of t-shirt samples supplied on the day.

Trees surrounding an orange outdoor shelter with people sitting underneath.

Sensory Walk

Wed 30 Sept 2026
4:00pm – 6:00pm

Tour will start and finish at the Union St entrance to the RMIT Campus – next to the rail line.

FREE Workshop

Led by Yassie Samie & Julie Gork
RMIT University

Contact:
yassie.samie@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Have you ever wanted the chance to experience a sensory walk around your local neighbourhood?

Join us for a free 2-hour interactive session where you will get to engage your senses – sight, sound, smell, touch and movement and mindfully interact with the environment as you walk around Brunswick.

Please bring with you: Comfortable walking shoes, suitable clothing, and suggested umbrella & water bottle.

A hand mending a garment with a needle.

Student-Led Community Repair Session

Tues 15 Sept 2026
2:00pm – 4:00pm

The Hanger, Building 516, Level 2, Room 1, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

FREE Workshop

Led by Georgia McCorkill
RMIT University

Contact:
yassie.samie@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Are your garments in need of mending or alteration?

Bring your items along to a 2-hour clothing restoration workshop where RMIT Bachelor of Fashion (Design) students will assist you with repair techniques ranging from inconspicuous to decorative, functional to expressive.

Sewing supplies will be provided and all levels from novice to experienced are welcome. In return, you will help the next generation of fashion designers learn about community-based approaches to clothing maintenance and repair.

We will provide: Fabrics, yarn, tools from RMIT’s Repair Cafe kit.

Please bring with you: 1 – 4 clean garments needing mending, repair, or minor alteration (eg. hemming). If repairs require specialist items like colour-matched zips please purchase these in advance and bring them with you too.

A children's shoe deconstructed into pieces.

This is Not a Shoe: Footwear Deconstruction Workshop

Mon 31 Aug 2026
5:00pm – 7:00pm

Building 513, Level 2, Room 005, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

Visit the ‘This is Not a Shoe’ window display as well! Open Tues 18 Aug – Fri 4 Sept in the entry window to Building 513, RMIT Brunswick Campus.

$35 per person
$25 per student

Led by Alex Sherlock & Pennie Jagiello
RMIT University

Contact:
yassie.samie@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Have a pair of shoes you no longer wear but can’t bring yourself to throw away? Have they had their last outing but still carry too much meaning to go to landfill?

Come along to this expert led hands-on workshop, where you will deconstruct a treasured pair of shoes and arrange the components into a commemorative flat-lay artwork to keep and display.

Along the way, you’ll discover how shoes are actually made, the materials and labour that go into creating them, and the sustainability challenges connected to our current footwear choices and consumption habits.

Join this reflective, creative experience turning a meaningful object into something new and change how you see footwear forever.

We will provide: Tools, materials, safety demonstration.

Please bring with you: One significant pair of shoes no longer worn.

Additional info: Over 18s only due to sharp tools.

alexandrasherlock.com/this-is-not-a-shoe
@this.is.not.a.shoe

Child-sized pair of shoes.
Mannequins wearing cream coloured garments.

Zero Waste Pattern Making Exploration

Tues 25 Aug 2026
5:00pm – 7:00pm

Building 513, Level 3, Room 12, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

$35 per person
$25 per student

Led by Betty Kanzurovski
RMIT University

Contact:
yassie.samie@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Want to elevate your patternmaking skills?

Join the Advanced Zero Waste Patternmaking Masterclass, designed for participants with existing patternmaking knowledge.

This 2-hour hands-on session will challenge you to rethink conventional approaches through innovative cutting and design techniques that eliminate fabric waste while unlocking new creative possibilities.

Join a community of forward-thinking makers and push your practice toward more sustainable, intelligent design.

We will provide: Half-scale patterns, pins, paper, rulers and fabric.

Please bring with you: Fabric scissors, pencils, highlighters.

Additional info: This advanced workshop is tailored for those with existing patternmaking skills at an intermediate level or higher and is not suitable for beginners.

People seated in a room, listening and watching.

Listening, Learning, Acting – Designing Inclusive Futures Interactive Workshop

Tue 21 July 2026
3:00pm – 5:00pm

The Hanger, Building 516, Level 2, Room 1, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

Register now

As part of the collaborative Circular Campus to Community Project, RMIT and Merri-bek City Council present the Listening, Learning, Acting: Designing Inclusive Futures Interactive Workshop.

This Workshop will focus on social sustainability, inclusion, disability, and circular practice.

Through a combination of in-person panel presentations, facilitated roundtables, and community-of-practice discussions, key challenges and opportunities in designing a more inclusive future will be explored.

This Workshop is suitable for community organisations, disability advocates, designers and artists, educators, businesses, students, practitioners, policymakers, and local government representatives.

Participants will leave with new connections, shared insights, and practical ideas for strengthening inclusive practice.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Please note this is an in-person event.

Hands screen printing on fabric.

(re)Print Workshop (Session 2)

Wed 15 July 2026
5:00pm – 7:00pm

RMIT Print Room, Building 513, Level 1, Room 2, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

$25 per person

Led by Rachel Halton
RMIT University

Contact:
yassie.samie@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Got a tee or shirt you love but never wear?

Bring it along and give it a second life at (re)Print Workshop – a hands-on block-printing workshop all about colour, pattern and circular fashion.

Bring one clean garment that is in need of love such as a t-shirt, button-up or basic. Inks, carved blocks and guidance will be provided.

You’ll learn the basics of block printing, experiment with placement and layering, and walk away with a one-of-a-kind piece you actually want to wear again.

No experience needed – just curiosity, a garment destined for the back of the drawer, and a willingness to get a little inky. Fast fashion out. Fresh prints in.

We will provide: Inks, carved blocks, screens and guidance.

Please bring with you: 1 clean garment in need of love/updating.

Additional info: Expect to get a little messy!

Hands screen printing on fabric.

(re)Print Workshop (Session 1)

Wed 8 July 2026
5:00pm – 7:00pm

RMIT Print Room, Building 513, Level 1, Room 2, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

$25 per person

Led by Rachel Halton
RMIT University

Contact:
yassie.samie@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Got a tee or shirt you love but never wear?

Bring it along and give it a second life at (re)Print Workshop – a hands-on block-printing workshop all about colour, pattern and circular fashion.

Bring one clean garment that is in need of love such as a t-shirt, button-up or basic. Inks, carved blocks and guidance will be provided.

You’ll learn the basics of block printing, experiment with placement and layering, and walk away with a one-of-a-kind piece you actually want to wear again.

No experience needed – just curiosity, a garment destined for the back of the drawer, and a willingness to get a little inky. Fast fashion out. Fresh prints in.

We will provide: Inks, carved blocks, screens and guidance.

Please bring with you: 1 clean garment in need of love/updating.

Additional info: Expect to get a little messy!

Sashiko Stitching and Denim Repair on jeans

Sashiko Stitching and Denim Repair (Session 2)

Wed 8 July 2026
5:00pm – 7:00pm

RMIT Makerspace, Building 515, Level 1, Room 005, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

$50 per person
$35 per student

Led by Deb Wills-Ives
RMIT University

Contact:
yassie.samie@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Got a worn or torn denim piece in need of repair?

Bring your favourite denim items to a 2-hour introduction to Sashiko stitching!

You will get to learn the basics of this Japanese stitching technique, through repairing worn and much-loved denim from your wardrobe. Participants in this workshop only need to bring along their denim jeans and/or denim jackets and everything else will be supplied.

Materials provided include a selection of Sashiko threads and needles, printed/plain cotton and denim fabrics for patching.

This workshop is suitable for all ages and designed to support participants in creatively exploring this traditional Japanese stitching technique.

We will provide: Yarns, threads, repair tools/equipment, printed/plain cotton and denim fabrics for patching.

Please bring with you: Denim jeans and/or jackets for repairing.

Patches and items for garment mending

Patch Cutting and Stash Swap for Garment Mending

Thurs 2 July 2026
5:00pm – 7:00pm

Building 515, Level 3, Room 6, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

FREE Workshop

Led by Georgia McCorkill
RMIT University

Contact:
kiri.delly@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Are you a mender who would like to build your stash of textile patches and yarns?

Take part in a 2-hour workshop for community repair volunteers and mending enthusiasts of all skill levels. Textiles from student remnants, industry swatches and post-consumer textiles will be provided to cut and press for patching as well as weaving room yarn offcuts to roll onto cards for darning.

Discussion will centre on knowledge exchange regarding mending tools, materials, and hacks with everyone invited to share and learn.

Interested local community repair volunteers unable to attend are invited to get in touch in advance of the workshop so an “order” can be prepared to assist your community work.

We will provide: Fabrics, yarn, tools from RMIT’s Repair Cafe kit.

Please bring with you: Your favourite mending tools and materials to share or surplus to pass on.

Sashiko Stitching and Denim Repair

Sashiko Stitching and Denim Repair (Session 1)

Wed 1 July 2026
5:00pm – 7:00pm

The Hanger, Building 516, Level 2, Room 1, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

$50 per person
$35 per student

Led by Deb Wills-Ives
RMIT University

Contact:
kiri.delly@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Got a worn or torn denim piece in need of repair?

Bring your favourite denim items to a 2-hour introduction to Sashiko stitching!

You will get to learn the basics of this Japanese stitching technique, through repairing worn and much-loved denim from your wardrobe. Participants in this workshop only need to bring along their denim jeans and/or denim jackets and everything else will be supplied.

Materials provided include a selection of Sashiko threads and needles, printed/plain cotton and denim fabrics for patching.

This workshop is suitable for all ages and designed to support participants in creatively exploring this traditional Japanese stitching technique.

We will provide: Yarns, threads, repair tools/equipment, printed/plain cotton and denim fabrics for patching.

Please bring with you: Denim jeans and/or jackets for repairing.

A person making with fabric and thread.

My Little Curtain Making Workshop

Wed 24 June 2026
5:00pm – 7:00pm

RMIT Maker Space, Building 515, Level 1, Room 005, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

FREE Workshop

Led by Ritika Vohra
RMIT University

Contact:
kiri.delly@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Gather, make and hang your own special sensory curtain!

Join us for to a 2-hour sensory workshop where you will create a small personal curtain featuring a hessian or scrim panel hanging from a found branch. You will stitch, knot and weave with threads and objects, tracing the textures, weights and sensations of what you bring with you inside and outside.

You will come away with a finished creative piece in addition to a new way of thinking about making – using sensation, memory and material as your guide.

No experience needed, just curiosity and a willingness to make!

We will provide: Fabrics, threads, tools, embellishments and accessories.

Please bring with you: A small found object or keepsake (eg a pebble, dried flower, button, scrap of fabric) that holds meaning or texture, and a small personal picture that holds memory, place or feeling.

A container of sewing threads.
Hands mending a garment.

Darn It! Fixing Knitwear Holes

Wed 17 June 2026
5:00pm – 7:00pm

The Hanger, Building 516, Level 2, Room 1, RMIT Brunswick Campus, 25 Dawson St, Brunswick

$50 per person
$35 per student

Led by Julia English
RMIT University

Contact:
kiri.delly@rmit.edu.au

Register now

Keen to get your winter warms all ready but you have a hole in your favourite jumper or knit?

Bring your winter woollies or other well-loved knits along to our 2-hour hands-on darning workshop. You will learn basic darning skills and come away with knitwear that is ready to face winter!

Please bring a few clothing items so we can discuss the best starting point and explore solutions for trickier problems. Also, please note, very fine knitwear can be a little delicate for these methods, so we recommend starting with a mid-weight to chunky knit pieces.

We will provide: Yarns, threads, repair, tools/equipment.

Please bring with you: Knitwear with holes (socks, jumpers, scarves) best for mid-weight to chunky knits.

Take-home: ‘Your Darning Basics’ worksheet with 2+ darning methods and video links.

Love your clothes and keen to find ways to extend their lives? Interested in learning how to mend, repair and rework your clothing, supporting a more considered and circular approach to what and how we wear?

Join us for a series of hands-on workshops taking place as part of RMIT University and Merri-bek City Council’s collaborative project: ‘Circular Campus to Community’.

Sessions will be led by experts from RMIT’s School of Fashion & Textiles and College of Vocational Education, and are open to anyone living, working, studying or just visiting Merri-bek!

This Program is a wonderful opportunity to gain circular skills, meet likeminded creatives, and continue to care for your clothes and the planet!

Please note: after these workshops, you will be invited to complete an anonymous online survey. The survey will gather your feedback on the event and your experiences participating and may be used for academic research purposes. Data will only be collected with your consent.

 

 

 

What is the Circular Campus to Community Project?

Merri-bek City Council (MCC) and RMIT have a shared vision to build meaningful connections out into industry, community, and academia to support social, economic, environmental, and cultural benefit and opportunities.

The RMIT x MCC: ‘Circular Campus to Community’ (CCC) Project seeks to practically foster just, place-based circularity efforts. Activity will connect the RMIT Brunswick campus community with the wider Merri-bek community across a range of experiments, workshops, activations, and events, allowing for skills and knowledge sharing, and improved circular understanding and practices.

Over 2026, CCC will deliver a series of collaborative and connected circularity themed programming. Activities will be structured under five streams: Regenerate, Repair, Recycle, Redesign, Rethink, with a focus on textiles creation, repair, and care, through knowledge and skill sharing.

Find more information on all events at placelab.rmit.edu.au

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