RMIT researcher recycles fire-service uniforms into new textiles

A textile recycling project led by Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) researcher Lisa Piller is transforming decommissioned fire-service uniforms from Western Australia’s Parks and Wildlife Service into new yarns and garments.

As part of her doctoral research, ‘Walking in Circles’, Piller collaborated with the ARC Research Hub for Future Fibres to develop fiber-to-fiber recycling pathways. The process involves blending recovered technical fibers with cotton grown in the Kimberley region. This integration utilizes a new local cotton gin, which allows regional cotton to be processed locally rather than being transported interstate.

The resulting experimental garments were showcased at Fremantle Design Week 2026 as part of the ‘Imagine: Material Stories’ exhibition. The initiative aims to demonstrate how discarded textiles and locally produced raw materials can be integrated into circular and regenerative textile systems to combat industry waste.