The City of Melville joined 24 councils and organisations across Australia for the Great Global Mend, a simultaneous textile repair event and an unofficial world record attempt for the most people sewing or mending at once.
Held as part of the Circular Fashion Festival, the City invited people to bring their worn and torn garments to a Great Global Mend event at AH Bracks Library and Community Space on Saturday, 7 November.
At 11.00am, 26 of our event attendees joined the Australia-wide simultaneous textile repair world record attempt, boasting the equal-highest at any single council event across the country (tying with the City of Stirling) and helping break the world record with a nation-wide total of 391 simultaneous clothing repairs.
The event aligned with the City’s commitment to the sustainable use of resources and the adoption of a circular economy approach, helping to reduce waste and improve resource recovery.
Community members were encouraged to bring a garment that needed some love, whether it was a button that’s fallen off, a seam that’s split or a favourite T-shirt with a tear.
Volunteers from the City’s Social Textiles Group and Bunting Library were on hand to demonstrate techniques and help repair clothing on the spot, while Selina from Positively Sew hosted an intimate visible mending session for beginners.
The Great Global Mend has a local flavour, with one of the co-founders Stephanie Pontet being a City of Melville resident.
In 2025, Pontet, owner of Care to Rewear, co-founded The Great Global Mend alongside Sophie Dyring, owner of FabPatch.au, whose rub-on patches were used across all event locations.
The nationwide initiative coordinates mending sites across multiple states to teach repair skills and keep textiles out of landfills.
For more information about the Great Global Mend, visit https://greatglobalmend.au/
Find upcoming textiling events and join the Social Textiles Group by visiting Social Textiles Group | City of Melville
Attribute the following comments to City of Melville Mayor Katy Mair:
“The City of Melville was proud to take part in the Great Global Mend because we want Melville to be a clean, green and sustainable City for current and future generations.
"It’s great to see our community get involved with this event, bringing clothes that need some love, from torn jeans to jackets that were missing buttons.”
“This event shows us how easy it can be to repair your clothes instead of throwing them away. Small holes and tears can easily be hand-stitched with your own flare and style as a bonus.”