Young Australian's 'vintage' Woolworths repurposed item proves creativity trumps fast fashion

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more ingenious response to the question 'what are you going to wear?' than transforming discarded shopping bags into high fashion.

But that's exactly what happened when a creative Australian teenager and her talented mum decided to make sustainability stylish.

Ms Burchell's show-stopping dress, crafted entirely from the now-discontinued green Woolworths shopping bags, has captured the internet's imagination after her video posted on social media clocked over 370,000 views in just one night.

The dress originally made its debut at Ms Burchell's Year 12 'Green Day' fundraiser, part of a school initiative promoting the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

As one young Australian designer noted, 'There are 7 billion people on the planet, but we produce 150 billion garments every year. So as long as there's an oversupply of garments, I feel like I'm always going to have enough resources to keep upcycling.'

The creation was a family affair, with Ms Burchell's incredibly talented mother behind the sewing machine. This wasn't their first foray into creative recycling either—previous winning entries included flared trousers made from the same green bags and a striking trench coat crafted from freezer bags.

The dress made its second appearance at a fundraising event for the Mito Foundation, supporting Ms Burchell's cousin who has an immune deficiency.

When her grandmother specifically requested the Woolworths bag dress for this green-themed charity event, someone suggested filming it for social media, and the rest, as they say, is history.

What makes this dress even more remarkable is its inadvertent status as a piece of fashion history. Woolworths phased out these iconic 15-cent reusable plastic bags entirely by 2023, removing approximately 221 million plastic bags from circulation annually.

As one social media user astutely observed: 'You can't even get those green bags any more. This is a collectors item as well as fashion.'

The timing couldn't be more perfect for sustainable fashion. Since 2018, Woolworths has removed 16,000 tonnes of virgin plastic packaging from circulation, making the original green shopping bags a symbol of the company's environmental journey.

The supermarket giant has committed to ambitious sustainability goals, including making all own-brand packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable.

Ms Burchell's creation taps into something much bigger than a single viral moment. Australia is at the forefront of the sustainable fashion revolution, with upcycled fashion gaining momentum as designers breathe new life into discarded materials.

Young Australian designers are leading this charge, with emerging fashion designers describing themselves as part of 'a growing circle of young Australian designers forging new ground in the environmentally-conscious fashion movement.'

The social media response has been overwhelmingly positive, with major brands jumping on board. Woolworths New Zealand called it 'AMAZING,' while Cotton On praised it as 'peak creativity.' Even Tinder Australia got in on the action, dubbing it 'Peak Aussie fashion.'

The dress's viral success reflects broader patterns in how Australians discover and engage with fashion content online. According to recent research, 39% of Australian social users turn to social media to keep up with trends in many areas, from finance to fashion, technology to travel.

For young Australians, users on fashion journeys are twice as likely than users of other social networks to immediately buy something they found on social media, with 41% of Gen Z social media users having bought a product they saw on the platform in the last year.

Ms Burchell's success story highlights how Australian schools are fostering environmental awareness through creative competition.

Schools increasingly host competitions related to recycling that help students boost creativity and develop habits of learning about recycling, including examples like recycled fashion shows and recycled goods fairs.

These 'Green Day' fundraisers have become popular ways for schools to combine environmental education with community fundraising, encouraging students to think creatively about waste reduction and reuse.

As more Australians grapple with environmental concerns and the rising cost of living, Ms Burchell's story offers a refreshing perspective.

Her mother's creativity, combined with her daughter's confidence to wear the result, shows how families can work together to find solutions that are both practical and meaningful.

The dress has clearly struck a chord, with suggestions ranging from creating Woolworths advertising campaigns around sustainable packaging to incorporating the design into formal wear.

One commenter captured the spirit perfectly: 'When shopping budget is all spent at woollies that's what we have to do for fashion. Thanks for showing us the light in these tough times.'

Read more: Why does Coles ask customers to scan bulky items first? We've got answers

What creative upcycling projects have you or your family tackled? We'd love to hear about your own ingenious solutions to waste and fashion in the comments below!