Remade in Melbourne: Our Collaboration with HoMie REBORN
Together with streetwear label HoMie, we’ve reimagined our iconic Heritage Sweat from past-season garments.
A social enterprise based in Melbourne, HoMie’s mission is to support young people affected by homelessness or hardship. Through its REBORN program, HoMie is exploring reuse in the fashion industry by reworking existing garments into limited-edition pieces.
We spoke with HoMie’s co-founder and creative director, Marcus Crook, about reimagining our Heritage Sweat, exploring circular design and his hopes for what this pilot collaboration can achieve.
The limited-edition Country Road x HoMie range is available at our
Brighton, Chadstone, South Yarra and Warringah Mall stores only.
Can you tell us about HoMie’s mission?
Our mission is to support young people affected by homelessness or hardship. 100% of the profits from our own HoMie streetwear label go towards our mission. HoMie has two main social impact programs: the HoMie Pathway Alliance and HoMie’s VIP Days. The Pathway Alliance is an accredited retail education and employment program for young people aged 18-25, providing them with the skills and opportunities to build a career in retail. On our VIP Days we invite young people experiencing hardship into our store to shop for free HoMie garments, grab a haircut, beauty services, personal care packs, and have lunch with the HoMie team, building a sense of community and support.
Can you tell us about the REBORN program and how it came about? What problem were you looking to solve?
REBORN started with the goal of tackling the waste problem in the fashion industry. Initially, we recreated past-season HoMie garments to give them new life. As we ran out of our own stock, we began partnering with other brands to upcycle their unused garments. Our mission is to utilise existing materials to create unique pieces, reducing our reliance on virgin resources.
In 2023, you partnered with a local manufacturer, ABMT, to scale the REBORN program. Why was this an important step and what has it taught you?
We’re thrilled about this partnership! Over the first three years of the REBORN program, we repurposed over 4,000 garments with just two sewing machines in our warehouse. Scaling circular projects is a challenge, but with ABMT’s decades of manufacturing experience, we were able to streamline our processes. This has allowed us to remake up to 1,500 garments per week. This collaboration ticks all the boxes: local manufacturing, exploring new models of design and community support.
Working to reimagine existing garments is quite different from creating designs from scratch. Can you explain the processes you went through in reimagining our Heritage Sweats?
We started by using flat lay photography and AI to create visual mockups of the designs, showcasing how the garments would look when finished. Once approved by the Country Road team, we sourced and sorted the products into size batches and colour groups. We then chalked up five different design blocks at random, cutting and mixing panels like a puzzle to try to minimise waste. For the logo, we collaborated with illustrator Nick Campbell, with the brief and concept tagline “from the Country Road to the city streets”. We chose puff print ink to elevate the final design, and we’re stoked with how it looks!
What are some of the benefits of working with existing garments and what advantages are there to remanufacturing here in Australia?
Making use of existing materials means we can reduce our reliance on new resources. It also provides a unique line of cool garments that you won't find anyone else wearing. There are some logistical challenges such as sorting and sizing as all brands are different but these are things we are ironing out. If more brands commit to repurposing, our REBORN facility has the potential to boost the local economy, create job opportunities and save excess product heading to landfill, all while supporting young people through our social impact programs.
What excites you about partnering with brands such as Country Road?
What excites me most about this partnership is our shared commitment to responsibility. This collaboration amplifies our reach and impact, showcasing the importance of circular fashion and social impact to a broader audience. These long-term meaningful partnerships are essential for scaling our initiatives and their impact.
What do you hope to achieve through the collaboration?
We aim to reach more people to raise awareness about youth homelessness and inspire other brands to adopt circular practices (which we can help with!). We want to lead the charge in circular fashion and social impact, driving meaningful change within the industry.
What are some other ways people can support HoMie’s mission?
Supporting HoMie can be as simple as liking, sharing or purchasing our clothing. Every bit helps in our mission to combat youth homelessness and make a positive impact.
