2026 Boorowa Irish Woolfest Upcycle Fashion Content
About Us
🧵 Boorowa Irish Woolfest Upcycle Fashion Contest | 🐑 50% Wool Rule | ♻️ Sustainable Style
Entering the Competition
💠 About Us
Where sustainability meets creativity — and wool takes centre stage.
After the remarkable success of the 2025 competition, the Boorowa Irish Woolfest Upcycle Fashion Contest returns in 2026, inviting designers, students, makers and sustainability lovers to transform something old into something entirely new.
This is a celebration of skill, imagination, and “make do” brilliance — bringing new life to woollen pieces that might otherwise be forgotten, and showcasing what’s possible when we choose creativity over waste.
💫 What You’ll Experience
Entries open Sunday 1 March 2026, with all entries to be received no later than Monday 31 August 2026.
You’ll create a new wearable garment or accessory by fully upcycling existing materials — including buttons, zippers and trims. The only items that can be new are thread, plus any batting and interfacing.
A key Woolfest requirement applies: at least 50% of the finished piece must be wool fibre, with entries made from items like coats, jumpers, trousers, skirts, blankets (or any other wool fibre starting point) using any method that works — sew, knit, crochet, felt, weave, or even glue.
🧡 Why Locals Love It
This contest is about real transformation — not quick alterations. It’s the thrill of seeing something completely reimagined, like trousers turned into a skirt, a tunic reshaped into a fitted top, or multiple garments combined into an entirely new jacket.
Entrants are also asked to share the story behind their piece, including photos of the original item or items, a short description of the process used to create the new work, and photographs of the finished result.
With Junior (11–14), Intermediate (15–18), and Open (over 18) categories — and first, second and third place winners in each — it’s a welcoming challenge for emerging makers and experienced creatives alike.
💬 “A brilliant celebration of wool, creativity, and sustainable thinking.”
🔗 Find Us
📍 Boorowa NSW (entries displayed in local Boorowa shopfronts for three weeks leading up to and including Woolfest weekend — locations to be confirmed)
📧 lyndiskon@gmail.com | juliepoplin@bigpond.com | annettebarberis@gmail.com