Exhibition Launch

Join us between 5-7 pm on Friday, 13th February 2026, to celebrate the launch of our small but powerful exhibition exploring emotional connections with footwear through creative transformation.

Part of the 2026 PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival Independent Programme, "This is Not a Shoe" demonstrates how beloved but unwearable shoes can earn an afterlife. Through deconstruction and reconstruction into wearable accessories, we honour the stories, memories, and significance these shoes hold.

What makes this exhibition special:

• View a curated selection of deconstructed shoes revealing hidden construction secrets

• See transformations that give cherished footwear new life as wearable accessories

• Discover the intimate stories behind each pair of significant shoes

• Experience how creative engagement offers a joyful alternative to landfill or consumption guilt

• Hear from artists and organisers Dr. Alexandra Sherlock (RMIT Fashion & Textiles) and Pennie Jagiello (contemporary jeweller) at 5:30pm as they share insights from the project

This exhibition showcases how RMIT-developed sustainable design pedagogy celebrates circular thinking through hands-on creativity rather than consumer shaming. Come witness how shoes that have earned an afterlife continue their stories in new forms.

Supported by Bared Footwear—if you own Bared shoes, we'd love to see you wear them!

LocatioN:

Pennie Jagiello, Studio 7, Sacred Heart Studio, Abbotsford Convent, 1 St. Helliers Street, Abbotsford. VIC
Limited places available - first come, first served. Free.

Enquiries to penniejagiello@hotmail.com