Splore’s ‘costume revolution’ aims to transform the culture of festival fashion

As fabulous and fun as the festival aesthetic can be, it’s not known for being particularly unsustainable.

A 2022 sustainability report by thrift website ThredUp reported that 42% of festival goers planned to buy a new outfit for their event, while 40% of the survey’s Gen Z respondents stated they’d be unlikely to re-wear an outfit they purchased for a music festival.

The results paint a troubling scenario involving needless waste, made all the more concerning when you consider that the carbon footprint of wearing a garment just once is unnecessarily high.

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That waste associated with ‘festi chic’ is why Splore is championing what they describe as a ‘Costume Revolution’ to transform the culture of festival fashion, with attendees at this weekend’s event being encouraged to bring a pre-loved costume or accessory to trade at an on-site costume swap.

Splore has partnered with non-profit organisation Fashion Revolution NZ to make more environmentally friendly costumes more accessible for their festival community.

In recent years there has been a surge in festival-geared fashion. For mass fashion e-tailers such as Revolve, a US brand specialising in fast fashion and who’s Coachella adjacent marketing pop-up in 2022 was dubbed ‘Fyre Fest 2.0’, music festivals present an increasingly lucrative commercial opportunity.

When Splore, the three-day music and arts festival staged annually on the shores of Tapapakanga Regional Park and marketed as the country’s “greatest costume party”, looked at the role they play in the festival waste problem, the organiser’s found that even with their robust waste policies in 2021, each of their attendees was responsible for creating an estimated 2.1 kg of potentially recoverable or wasted resources.

“There was a lot of feedbacksaying, ‘what’s up with all these single use costumes, what’s up with all these Moop?” says Splore’s sustainability manager Anna Mathieson. [Moop is an acronym for Matter Out of Place, which refers to anything that is not originally of the land on which the event takes place]

“Think of costumes with glitter, plastic streamers, stick-on shiny crystal face beads or body jewellery; basically stuff that’s destined for landfill.”

In an effort to combat this, Splore encourages attendees to re-evaluate their relationship with ‘disposable’ clothes in favour of re-energised outfits they already own or can borrow.

“People are just treating their costumes like a one-night stand, we want them to be life partners,” Mathieson says.

She encourages people to visit the Fashion Revolution NZ costume swap and activation at the festival, and “learn something about the impact of your choices”.

”It’s not about telling people what not to do, but about encouraging them to think differently about their costume. To consider using what they already have in their closet, mending something or making something.”

Renting is another option for festival goers, reflecting the booming trend iin the wider fashion industry. Auckland designer Ella Manhire, who rents out the designs she creates under the brand Magna World, says the benefits of renting over buying are plentiful.

“It means people who can’t afford a custom-made piece still get to wear something unique and exciting while on the same budget as shopping fast fashion, avoiding buying single use costumes and extras that get thrown in the bin.

She finds that many people can be afraid to commit to buying overly colourful or “extra” outfits that are slow fashion, as they may not feel as confident wearing it in day-to-day life – but love wearing them for a special night out when others are dressing up too.

“It also means I don’t have to give up any of my favourite items I’ve made over the years, but they get the wear they deserve,” she says.

As well as the costume swap at Splore, Fashion Revolution, the New Zealand-based nonprofit chapter of a global network that works to raise awareness around the social and environmental issues associated with fast fashion, will also be hosting free bedazzling, upcycling and informative workshops.

The initiatives are linked to Splore’s wider sustainability goals. “Everything is linked to our zero waste kaupapa, we’re doing our best to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” says Mathieson.

Alongside environmental considerations, organisers are urging partygoers to apply a cultural lens to their costumes and “consider what cultural appropriation means, and to be mindful of this before they come to Splore”.

It’s about celebrating and appreciating, rather than ripping off another culture. “Often it’s a minority culture’s sacred symbols or cultural items – Native American headdresses are the sort of the classic example which springs to mind.”

Mathieson says the sustainable and cultural edicts are both aimed at, “being aware of choices that you’re making and how that impacts other people and dressing or costuming in a way which is authentic to you and respectful towards other cultures and the environment.”

Fashion Revolution will be onsite at Splore hosting free DIY bedazzling and up-cycling workshops on Thursday 4-8pm, Friday 12-6pm and Saturday 10-4pm.