Step inside Bunnyhole Vintage on Cherry Street and you’ll find racks of timeless fashion treasures.  There’s exquisite fabrics – wool coats, cotton blouses and quirky retro prints – pieces that store owner Nikki Roberts says were built to last.

“The beauty of older clothes is their quality,” she said.

“Natural fibres like wool and cotton wear so well if you look after them. You really don’t need to wash them constantly –  just care for them, mend them, and they’ll keep going.”

For Ms Roberts, mending isn’t just a business philosophy –  it’s part of her family story. She treasures the sewing kits passed down from both her mother and grandmother, each one filled with well-worn tools of the trade.

“Those kits are really special. I still use them today. They remind me that clothes were always something to be looked after, not thrown away,” she said.

Roberts has been running Bunnyhole Vintage for more than a decade – first in Lismore, then, after the floods, relocating to Ballina.  These days, her store has become a hub for younger shoppers inspired by Instagram and TikTok to put together “quirky” outfits from pre-loved clothes.

“Content creators have made it cool again. They show how to style unique looks, and that’s encouraged a new generation to embrace vintage,” she said.

But while Ms Roberts has customers hunting down treasures, far too many good-quality garments are still being thrown away.

An audit at Ballina’s Resource Recovery Centre recently found that more than 80 per cent of discarded clothing was in near-perfect condition, or just needed a simple wash or repair.

It’s this problem that has prompted Ballina Shire Council to launch a new program, with the support of the NSW EPA, to encourage locals to rethink their relationship with fashion. Called Creating a Circular Clothing Community, the project has secured a $32,400 grant and will run until mid-2026.

Council’s Justine Rowe, who is leading the program, said the goal is to help people make better choices.

“We have too many clothes, we wear them too little, and replacing them has become cheaper than repairing them,” she said. “This project is about giving people the tools and confidence to repair, upcycle and reuse, so clothing stays out of landfill.”

Teaching old skills anew

Nikki Roberts believes the push couldn’t come at a better time.

“The old art of mending really needs to come back,” she said. “Basic skills like sewing, cooking and cleaning –  they’re life skills, and kids should be taught them. You don’t always need to buy new when something can be repaired.”

To help spread that knowledge, Council is rolling out a series of free community workshops. Locals can learn how to transform old T-shirts into new styles, or pick up visible hand-mending techniques to give clothes a second life.

An online survey is also open until 1 September to gather insights into how residents buy, care for and dispose of clothing.

Ms Roberts hopes projects like this will encourage people to think differently.

 “Op-shopping and recycling fashion has always been about making something unique out of what already exists,” she said.

“If more people learn how to care for their clothes, we’ll see less waste and a lot more personality in what people wear.”

Next steps

Council’s project – Creating a Circular Clothing Community in Ballina Shire – will run until June 2026.

It starts with the  online community survey, open until September 1 at ballina-clothing.paperform.co

This is followed by free workshops teaching practical repair and upcycling skills.

Upcoming events include:

• Intro to Upcycling – Transform a T-shirt into a Peplum Top or Dress, Lennox Head CWA Hall, Wed 3 Sept, 10am–12.30pm
  
• Visible Creative Hand-Mending – Wollongbar Hall, Sun 14 Sept, 10am–1pm
  

Spaces are limited and registration is essential via this link