Facts About Fabric
• The average lifetime of a piece of clothing is approximately 3 years.
• Flax is the earliest known natural textile fabric seen used in about 5000 BC. Flax is the material used to make linen which is seeing a huge come back today in drapery and upholstery.
• Nike (with subsidiary Converse) is the largest fashion company in the world, with a market value of $105 billion.
• There is evidence that cotton and wool were used to create natural fabrics in about 3000 BC and evidence of silk use in 2500 BC in China.
• China is the largest maker and exporter of silk in the world and has been for 100’s of years.
• The average person buys 60 percent more items of clothing every year and keeps them for about half as long as 15 years ago, generating a huge amount of waste.
• The earliest evidence of fabric textiles has been found in Turkey, Egypt, and Israel.
• The creation of man-made fibres has only been within the last 100 years. Rayon was the first man-made fibre created in 1910 and it was called ‘artificial silk’. Viscose is the most common form of Rayon.
• More than 70 percent of the world's population uses second-hand clothing. About 50 percent of collected shoes and clothing is used as second-hand products. Meanwhile, 20 percent is used to produce polishing and cleaning cloths for various industrial purposes, and 26 percent is recycled for applications such as fibre for insulation products, upholstery, fibreboard, and mattresses.
• Microfibre or Ultrasuede was invented over 20 years ago in Japan. Microfibre is the thinnest of all man-made fibres, even finer than silk. it is 100 times finer than a human hair.
• Acrylic is a man-made fibre that has a soft, wool-like hand, is machine washable and has excellent colour retention. It is often an additive to textiles to take advantage of these properties.
• Nearly 100 percent of textiles and clothing are recyclable.
• Nylon is also man-made and was first produced in 1938. It has high strength, excellent resilience, and superior abrasion resistance. Nylon replaced silk stockings for women in the early part of the 20th century.
• The highest quality cotton comes from Egypt.
• Textiles and shoes make up 12% of landfill sites.
• Bamboo is a grass that has been used to create a fabric that hangs much like a heavy linen. It has natural wicking ability that pulls moisture away from the skin so it can be useful in reducing moisture related odour. It also has natural anti-bacterial qualities. Bamboo grows quickly and does not need pesticides to thrive, making it one of the more sustainable textile sources.
Suellen's Sweet Christmas Tradition
The festive season is the perfect excuse to indulge your sweet tooth and to bring something truly special to the Christmas table. For Suellen’s family, that showstopper is Croquembouche !
An impressive tower of cream puffs bound together with delicate spun sugar, this classic dessert is a favourite at weddings across France and Italy and a much-loved Christmas tradition at home.
Click read more for the full recipe.
Poll: Are Kiwis allergic to “exuberance”? 🥝
In The Post’s opinion piece on the developments set to open across Aotearoa in 2026, John Coop suggests that, as a nation, we’re “allergic to exuberance.”
We want to know: Are we really allergic to showing our excitement?
Is it time to lean into a more optimistic view of the place we call home? As big projects take shape and new opportunities emerge, perhaps it’s worth asking whether a little more confidence (and enthusiasm!) could do us some good.
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41.2% Yes
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34% Maybe?
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24.8% No
Speed is Emotional
ADHD – it’s so hot right now!
Local creative powerhouse Jo Randerson (ONZM) unpacks their diagnosis, neurodivergent parenting, sad songs, men taking their time, and so much more in this highly lauded “funny as hell” theatre extravaganza.
Finally having its home premiere as part of Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts, this incredible mahi is so much more than a performance – it’s a revelation. Jo Randerson has a brain that never stops and a fountain of restless energy fueling their fiercely funny artistic voice. Who knew?! that this fountain was fed by something they had diagnosed in their 40s alongside their son: ADHD.
In Speed is Emotional Jo bares their soul, sharing the exhilaration, exhaustion, joy, and absurdity of living and parenting with neurodivergence. Jo weaves their punk poetic magic into a beautiful comedy about transcending labels and living with a voltage so high it’s going to blow the mains.
Review
“…a livewire plunge into the chaos, colour and comedy of living a neurodiverse life” – Blackguard Media Reviews
Dates
11 – 28 Mar
Tues – Sat 7pm, Sun 4pm
$25 – $45
Circa One
Accessibility
Access tickets $20 per person. NZSL and audio described performances available as per the below times. All performances are relaxed, and audiences may enter or leave at any time. To book tickets for ANZFA please call 04 801 7992 or email circa@circa.co.nz. Service dogs are welcome, please let us know if you have any access seating requirements.
Audio Described performances
7pm, Tues 17 March
7pm, Thu 26 March
NZSL-interpreted performances
4pm, Sun 15 March
7pm, Sat 21 March
7pm, Thu 26 March
Audience Care
Suitable for family audiences, parental discretion.
Duration 75 minutes (no interval)
Writer and Performer Jo Randerson
Director Isobel MacKinnon
Production Company Barbarian Productions
Creative team
Bekky Boyce
Steven Junil Park
Elliot Vaughan
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