How Summer Became Winter’s Hottest New Accessory: The Off Cuts
Summer in Australia is just wonderful. The beaming sun, the crystal blue water on the sandy beaches, and the scorching heat.
Ice cream melts the moment you take it out of the freezer, and the sales of aloe vera spike as sunburns cover the skin of every tourist that visits and hot summer nights are spent under the stars. We’re all right next to a BBQ and only ever a few inches away from an esky.
And then winter hits. The skies are still blue and the sun's still shining, but all the tourists and some locals have moved on to find the heat once more. Aussies are left with the remnants of token tee-shirts that say “I love Australia”, or bikinis and tea towels with images of kangaroos and koalas plastered on the fabric.
Then, Australia’s off season begins. Tourism Tasmaina, along with BMF and sustainable designer Noah Johnson believed that the off season doesn’t have to be the bleak antithesis of Australia’s iconic summer.
Creating The Off Cuts, a collection of fashion items made completely from recycled summer tourist clothing and accessories, has brought a new life to the Aussie winter. LBB’s Casey Martin spoke to BMF’s Max Lom-Bor on this unique spin on the off season and the global impact it’s had.
LBB> What has been the response so far to this campaign and to the clothing?
Max> Tourism Tasmania’s Off Cuts campaign reached 3.5 million people in three days. But perhaps the most impressive part was the quick uptake and sales of the garments.
That means it wasn’t just wallpaper or clickbait. People didn’t just scroll on by. They really engaged with this idea of reusing discarded summer clothing and repurposing that for winter. And they really bought it. Literally. To think of people walking around with bucket hats made of boardies, beanies made of bikinis, and scarves made of beach towels this off season is a lovely thought.
Earned media you hope for, maybe plan for a little, earning pride of place in someone’s wardrobe is a whole new achievement.
LBB> What were the challenges that you faced and how were they overcome?
Max> One of the challenges for Noah and the entire team was making sure everything was produced sustainably, even down to the sustainable wrapping. We wanted to ensure nothing went to waste. So that meant coming up with innovative solutions for any spare scraps of material. Which is how we came to using sustainable fabric wrapping and packaging, recycled zips and re-used sleeping bag materials to pack out the summer puffer jackets.
LBB> What was it like collaborating with Noah Johnson, and how did the production play out?
Max> Tasmania-born sustainable fashion designer Noah Johnson was an absolute dream to collaborate with. Right from the first chat we had he came with his own ideas, builds, passion and positivity. Having spent years re-working forgotten fabrics, he had plenty of knowledge about how certain pieces would fit together. We met with him remotely and in person to discuss everything. From the fabric sourcing, initial sketches, right through to the finishing stitches and photo shoot locations.
LBB> Do you see a future where more collaborations like this one are possible to not only promote sustainability but have sustainability at its core?
Max> Absolutely. Tourism Tasmania’s goal is for Tasmania to be a global leader in responsible and sustainable tourism.
Rightly so. That’s how this idea was born, through a brief that opened the door to sustainable space and gave a genuine opportunity for something like this.
For a client that invites visitors to experience Tasmania’s nature and wilderness, there’s no more natural fit. Many puns intended.
LBB> What has been the biggest highlight from this campaign?
Max> A major highlight of this campaign would have to be the feature in Vogue. To see a piece of work constructed in someone’s home studio go on to get featured in the biggest fashion publication on the planet was mind blowing.
It was also great working in collaboration with Tourism Tasmania, Noah, Mkt. Communications, Starcom, Stills by Daniel, and Orchard to bring Off Cuts to life.
LBB> What was the core inspiration for this campaign? Why is it so important?
Max> Winter is when Tasmania is at its most different to the mainland. A bit weird, a bit wild, a bit… ‘off’. The off season flips expectations with relish - embracing the cold instead of escaping it - and going wild when everyone else is hibernating. That inspired the idea. You can’t go cutting up summer souvenirs without a healthy dose of irreverent winter attitude to play off. The off season campaigns to date have such a striking visual aesthetic, so that really helped us justify every weird and wonderful creation.
The collection is as ‘off’ as the off season itself
