LESSONS

Sweat the Small Stuff
Too easily, are the ‘small things’ like care labels, threads, buttons, packaging, interfacing, dyes, inks etc - submerged beneath the accolades of a garment boasting 100% organic, natural fibres or a recycled composition. Read more...
Climate Collapse is Business Collapse
Too often is sustainability seen as a ‘nice to have’ - our perspectives need shifting. It’s a must have, an investment, an important part of risk management and brand DNA. Read more...
Dead stock: What Does it Mean & Is It 'Sustainable?'
Dead stock is materials left over from a brand’s previous production run, a direct result of over production. The fashion industry thrives on producing more items than there is demand - the outcome? Fabrics which haven’t been used and otherwise will go to waste. The Good Thing Is That smaller brands can design with dead stock & boycott creating materials from scratch, both mitigating emissions & reducing cost of goods whilst helping to reuse surplus fabric. But It Isn’t a Solution For The Industry’s Reliance On Exponential Growth Whilst it’s... Read more...
The Art of Mending: Extend Your Clothing’s Life and Respect Your Wardrobe
In today’s fast-fashion world, learning to mend and care for your clothes is more important than ever. Mending isn’t just about fixing holes or tears - it is about valuing your wardrobe, reducing waste, and making sustainable choices that benefit both your wallet and the planet. Why Mend Your Clothes? Save Money: Repairing garments extends their lifespan, meaning fewer replacements and less spending. Reduce Waste: The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters. Mending helps keep clothes out of landfill. Preserve Memories: Your clothes often carry stories and personal meaning - mending respects that history.... Read more...
Refining Your Brand DNA - Leaning into Sustainability for Opportunities to Grow
    If you had to guess what created the beautiful, bold, pink hue our Hand Crocheted headband - where would you assume it came from? Another synthetic tincture made in a lab? Or - would you assume it had been made from a vine like plant called Chapi, foraged for seasonally in the Cusco mountains of Peru, by a team of 5 Peruvian woman who have helped keep the art of botanical dyeing inline with the seasons - alive?The answer? Number two. Harder, longer, more variables at play, significantly more... Read more...
Recycled Polyester - isn’t a sole solution
  Whilst being a great way to incorporate pre consumer waste into collections, especially for swimwear and fitness brands - we can’t look to recycled polyester as our sole solution to the reliance fashion has on synthetic, virgin materials. “Rough estimates, suggest the industry puts out anywhere between 80-150 billion items of apparel and footwear every year.” - Reimagining Growth Landscape Textile Exchange Polyester ( which is a synthetic fibre made from petro chemicals, essentially plastic ) accounts for an estimated 60% of fibre production globally - (ITMF) 2023 Recycled... Read more...
How Can We Localise Fashion?
  A long word, an important meaning.    Localisation is defined as: the practise of producing, sourcing and consuming good within a geographically close or regional area rather than relying on global, long distance supply chains.  Something which has been foundational to our life on Earth, yet we have become so disconnected from.      Why is it important?    Localisation fosters a more circular & regenerative system which aligns consumption patterns with natural limits & social needs of specific places, rather than the pressure of global mass production and... Read more...
If You Can't Show It, You Can't Sell It
    Transparency is becoming no longer a choice, and we are here for it. The reality is, that there's few fashion brands who openly publicise their supply chains. With many of the intricacies behind the pieces you hold and wear being hidden impacts. This makes it almost impossible for consumers to understand the depth behind what they're supporting, both post, during and after it's time in their ownership.  Luckily - the tides are changing.  One thing we know - is that Europe it taking this climate thing seriously.  And... Read more...
See Behind The Threads: A Photo Series Celebrating the Artisans of WP
  This June, we commissioned Yulissa Aranibar drom Arranca Prod to capture the hands & hearts behind our Hand Crocheted & Knitted pieces.  We hope through this series, we can connect people back to where their clothing came from, and showcase the essence of why we are here.      So - why are we here & who are we?  Walking Protest is a fashion brand & movement, dedicated to re birthing fashion for a more sustainable and ethical future. Our pieces utilise Artisanal Wisdoms, hand craft, circular design principles,... Read more...
Where does discarded clothing go?
Annually, it’s estimated we produce 92 million tonnes of textile waste. That’s equivalent to the weight of over 61 billion cars. This is a problem.   What contributes to fashion waste? Dead stock ( unused fabrics ) Unsold clothing Damaged clothing Un wanted clothing Over production  Where does our clothing often go, when it’s discarded ? Landfill With many of our clothing being made out of synthetic materials which won’t break down and leak micro plastics into water ways and soils, this isn’t a sustainable solution.  Here are some resources to help keep... Read more...
Why does fashion need to slow down?
It's estimated that 3,166 garments are made every second, and we only wear 1,100 of them.   This accounts for an estimated 93 trillion litres of water 2.1 billion tonnes of CO2 92 million tonnes of waste 10% of global industrial energy usage Per annum   How can brands help? Consider made to order or pre order models Help customers with mending & repair Design with quality & longevity as a priority Prioritise regenerative, bio degradable textiles Be more conscious about how frequently new skus are being dropped, inline with your brand’s current... Read more...
4 Questions to Ask Before You Buy New Clothes
1 Do the research behind what you’re buying. The first & most simple thing to look for is what it’s made out of. This can be found on the care label & already tells you a lot about the impact this garment has had & will have. We like to opt for natural or recycled fibres for a lessened impact.   2 Consider its wearability and longevity. How many times can you wear this? Can you style for many seasons? Is it of high quality, giving you more opportunities for wearing & mending?... Read more...
A note from the founder
Hi! It’s nice to meet you, my name is Madeline & I am the founder of Walking Protest. I thought it would be nice to introduce myself, as excitingly there’s many new ‘faces’ on our website joining our WP movement...     Here are some of the most common questions I get asked when it comes to WP, that I’d love to share with our community.     Why did you decide to call your business Walking Protest? I wanted to create something which could ‘protest’ the systems of fashion,... Read more...
Let's Make Mending Cool
What can I mend? Unless your garment is nothing more than scraps of fabric, odds are you’ll be able to get it mended. And, even if only scraps of it remains, you can use these to make it into something else!   Why is mending important?  Wearing our clothes often & making them last keeps them away from landfill for longer and prevents us from re purchasing items unnecessarily. It feels as though the days where mending was common knowledge are long gone... Luckily, there's people out there keeping mending... Read more...
The Hand Knitted Dress
What's our favourite dress? This one...   Why? Here are some of our reasons:   It's hand embroidered It's been hand knitted taking many hours to craft The Hand Knitted Dress's vibrant colours come from botanical plant and flower dyeing techniques It's been crafted by talented Peruvian Women utilising traditional hand knitting techniques It's created out of 100% organic cotton It's designed to transcend trends and accompany you for years to come               Our Hand Knitted Dress was the final piece to our collection, Lessons... Read more...
Building a more 'sustainable' wardrobe
Building a more sustainable wardrobe isn't just necessary for the health of our Earth, it's also a great way to re define the way you dress & your own personal style.     There's a few things we look for that you may find useful too:   Natural Textiles Wearability Quality Finishes Comfortable fit Functionality Low cost per wear Ability to style many different ways Low impact A connection to it High quality textiles   Things to check:   The Care Label The Brand What to Style With Care Instructions... Read more...
A Shared Vision For Fashion's Future
I am honoured to share a snippet of Solid Craft’s recent blog post capturing the essence of our relationship with this values aligned company. Solid Crafts is who has created our Hand Crocheted and Hand Knitted styles in Peru - I had the pleasure of meeting them in person last year.  “At Walking Protest, the focus isn’t just on creating clothing; it's about disrupting the conventional fashion industry and promoting sustainable, circular solutions. We couldn’t be more thrilled to exchange ideas with a brand that aligns so closely with our... Read more...
Can Fashion Support Ecosystems?
Any fibre and textile can have either negative or positive effects on ecosystems. It always comes down to how it is processed and cultivated into a finished piece. We believe that asking brands & suppliers directly the process behind what you’re purchasing is the best way to navigate a lowered environmental footprint & supporting biodiversity as a values pillar.   Read more...
Slowing it down
The time taken to craft our Hand Knitted Dress & Hand Crocheted Shorts We are known for our bright, lively, timeless and colourful Hand crafted Shorts & Dress. Crafted out of 100% organic cotton yarn & dyed using botanical dyes foraged for in the Peruvian mountains of Cusco - these pieces are a true testament to slowing down our supply chain, honouring traditional skills & the natural resources around us.  So, how long do they take to create?     Why we chose ‘slow’ We wanted to create pieces which... Read more...
A War on Plastics & Synthetics in Fashion
Having a plastic free world would be radical! Although this material is here ( in masses) and for now we believe it’s about prioritising natural materials where possible & supporting businesses who are utilising plastic based materials responsibly, helping to reshape the way we use this innovation is the way forwards! Read more...
Lessons from Lucianne Tonti
Talking all things regenerative farming, consumer behaviour, barriers in the way of opting for a more sustainable future and  communicating sustainability issues with a thread of hope rather than fear.   As a sustainability consultant, you obviously see a-lot of brands & how they operate... Is there a key challenge that you’ve noticed brands & businesses face when they’re wanting to opt for a more sustainable & fair trade business model?     Yes, it’s always cost. It always comes down to how expensive it is to opt for sustainable,... Read more...
Lessons From Hayden Marks
WHY COOKING, PLANTING & EATING NATIVE BUSH FOOD IS A REMEDY FOR OUR CLIMATE - Hayden Marks, Founder & director of Melbourne Bush Foods     We had the pleasure of talking with Hayden Marks from Melbourne Bush Foods.Hayden works tirelessly to advocate for Native food systems & gardening, working towards a more sustainable, circular & ethical system for our country. In summary; Using natives needs to be the norm.Enjoy the read!   What was your motivation behind starting Melbourne Bush Foods? I knew there were Native foods, but there... Read more...