About

An Australian design practice exploring textile waste recycling and circularity; established by designer Guy Dempster.

I've spent the past decade studying and working in fashion and textiles– for designers in New York and Sydney, and manufacturers across southern China and Hong Kong.

As I reflect on my time in the industry, there's little doubt in my mind that our current approach to textile production and consumption needs to change. It is wasteful, unethical, destructive, and undermines the value of the craft. Textiles are not disposable. They are resource–intensive to produce, require incredible human ingenuity, skill and labour, and deserve a lot more respect and care than we currently give them.

To this end, my goal with Dempstah is to unite a variety of approaches to textile waste reuse and recycling: connecting international manufacturers with local mills, designers and makers to transform Australian–sourced textile waste into new materials and wares.

– We're an experiment in circularity.

The Billie System x Dempstah

Central to Dempstah's work is our ongoing collaboration with The Billie, an innovative new textile recycling mill in Hong Kong. Their mechanical system recovers natural textile fibre without the use of any water, detergent, bleach, dye or liquid chemical, making theirs one of the most resource–lite methods of recycling across our industry.