Epson and The Social Outfit support ethical and sustainable fashion

Epson and The Social Outfit highlighted their ongoing collaboration and shared commitment to supporting an ethical and sustainable fashion industry. At an event in November, showcasing The Social Outfit’s latest Resort collection, which featured designs made with fabric digitally printed on an Epson Monna Lisa ML-8000 direct-to-fabric printer,

Epson A/NZ MD Craig Heckenberg says, “‘Our partnership with The Social Outfit reflects Epson’s belief that technology can enrich communities and drive a more sustainable future. By supporting local, on-demand fabric printing, we’re helping enable ethical production and creative expression, while contributing to a more responsible and innovative textile industry.”

The Social Outfit is a social enterprise charity and fashion label that creates jobs, skills and community for refugee and new migrant women. Since 2014, The Social Outfit has provided paid employment, training, and mentoring to help refugee women gain their first Australian work experience and progress into meaningful work. Their approach blends social impact with environmental responsibility, producing limited-edition fashion collections from remnant and deadstock fabrics that would otherwise go to landfill. 

On their partnership with Epson, The Social Outfit’s CEO Amy Low says, “There is so much creative potential available to us through this Epson partnership. Accessing technology that enhances our ability to share stories of refugee and migrant women in Sydney is very exciting. This Monna Lisa digital print making was particularly intriguing to us, especially in translating one of our community print stories into a fashion capsule via Epson’s direct-to-fabric technology.”

An example of the designs printed and brought to life by Epson on the night and part of the new High Summer collection was a community print story called ‘Sama’. This unique design was digitally printed using the Epson Monna Lisa ML-8000 direct-to-fabric printer and displayed designs by 12 women from the Chester Hill Community Hub.

Low continued, “When the Social Outfit team visited the Epson Experience Centre and saw the potential of the Mona Lisa direct-to-fabric printer and technology, we immediately considered what opportunities existed to provide learning opportunities and upskilling for our staff of refugee and migrant women. We are thrilled that Epson could add another layer of storytelling to our community print. Epson have gone above and beyond to support our vision, from being hands-on with the selection of fabric to the printing process via their Monna Lisa printer and then printing elements to be included in our campaign imagery.”
‘Sama’ was digitally printed on the Epson ML-8000 in Sydney and then made in The Social Outfit’s ethical garment manufacturing workroom in Marrickville by refugee and migrant women. This summer, customers can buy the garments featuring Sama online or at The Social Outfit’s store in Newtown. Customer service interactions at The Social Outfit support young refugee women participating in the organisation’s paid work experience program. 

As the partnership has grown, Epson has also provided both financial and in-kind support to The Social Outfit as its official print partner. This includes large-format printing for photoshoots, window displays, projection and events.

Low adds, “Our partnership with Epson has allowed us to explore what it looks like to create a fully Australian-manufactured garment. From printing through to garment production, and the experience we provide customers in our store. The Epson partnership has really helped us enhance the storytelling of what we do. In addition to locally printing fabric for our ‘Sama’ community print, their large format printing and amazing projection have enhanced our retail space and campaign imagery, significantly helping us capture the imagination of our customers and our community.”
Epson helped create and showcase works featured at this year’s Refugee Week celebration, supporting efforts to raise awareness and celebrate the vital contributions of refugees to society.

 “It’s hard to overstate the importance of organisations such as The Social Outfit and the role they play in the sustainable fashion industry. The Social Outfit’s goals align closely with Epson’s, and that’s why we are so committed to this partnership. As a result, we believe the future for an ethical and sustainable fashion industry in Australia looks increasingly positive and bright,” finishes Heckenberg.