When The Nest Community was founded in 2014, it borrowed concepts from the Craftivism movement, using craft for social change.So we were thrilled to be invited as a 2024 community partner in QUT’s Impact Lab. The School of Design unit draws together first-year students from diverse disciplines such as Interaction, Visual Communication, Industrial and Fashion Design.

We were asked to present a Social Impact design brief for the unit’s signature project, to which students in multidisciplinary groups had just over 2 days to form a response.

At first, we wondered if our ‘old-fashioned’ beliefs in intergenerational connection, skill sharing and craft would be relevant to these digital natives, who’ve never known life without online shopping, social media or screens. Would they consider craft and making by hand to be a relevant solution to future problems?

Keen to hear the voices of this next generation of customers and potential volunteers, we accepted the invitation.

We recorded The Nest’s CEO Roz Holt giving a guided tour of our social enterprise, The Nest Haberdashery. She showed the textile resources we reclaim and talked about our values of sustainability, community and conservation.

Surprisingly, the video was a hit and out more then 500 students, 83 decided to work on our brief in 17 different groups. We asked them: 

How can The Nest inspire and support younger generations, Gen Z in particular, to engage with reclaimed materials and hand making?

How QUT students responded to our brief

Using the idea that design can foster inclusion, act as a disruptor or drive positive change, each group had to leverage their trans-disciplinary knowledge, apply design-led processes and lean into their entrepreneurial spirit to come up with a response that kept the human condition at the heart of their ideas.

During a Q&A session, we learnt that beyond the social structure of secondary school, many students struggle socially in the University environment. They are already seeking ways to connect outside of licensed venues and understand that forming social connections make them feel happy and well supported.

They also acknowledged that they needed to improve their hand making skills, not just to reduce consumption by repairing, reusing and making, but also to support their need for individuality.

We were off to a great start so we couldn’t wait to hear the presentations – which honestly blew us away. Overall, we were astounded by the standard of work, collaboration and professionalism that was achieved over the 2 days. We thoroughly commend all the students and their teaching team. We went with little expectations but came away overwhelmed with possibilities, far greater than we had really considered.It was incredible!   

Three key themes emerged

Caring and Connecting:

Joining us in acknowledging craft as a joyous means of connection and antidote to isolation, suggestions for clubs, societies, after school clubs, meetups, and social sewing and sorting sessions, abounded. 

From the Digital to the Material:

Though classified as digital natives, the students recognised the tactile and mindful value in textile craft materials and processes. They looked for inventive ways to connect the digital and material worlds. They designed subscription models and online spaces for craft classes and communities. Inspired by social media, they leveraged micro-influencers or translated the ASMR trend for calming stimuli into workshop kits.

Inclusion & Diversity: 

Finally, students explored how The Nest’s offerings and partnerships could expand to reach younger audiences. The students had amazing ideas about how we as a maternal organisation could nurture more diverse communities to connect through craft.

Craft and generational research informing project ideas

Underpinning the project ideas was compelling and sobering research about Gen Z. They also looked at the benefits and participation in crafts, explored business strategies and conducted primary research with QUT Fashion students.

Throughout the presentations, the cost of living was cited as a leading societal issue, with staggering data that showed 87% of females and 77% of males are severely stressed about the cost of living (ASIC, 2024).

Added to financial stress, 60% of young people experience loneliness (Headspace, 2022). 42% of Gen Z are diagnosed with a mental health condition.

They identified that intergenerational connection can reduce anxiety and enhance the feeling of self-worth, and that sewing and crafts are proven to create a sense of fulfilment, boost serotonin, improve mood and reduce anxiety and depression.

Connection and craft – both simple solutions! 

Craft, an economic solution to consumerism

A more difficult issue to solve is consumption and it turns out that Gen Z accounts for 40% of the global consumer base (McKinsey & Company).

Fortunately, 68% of Gen Z are identified as eco-friendly shoppers. Their top 10 hobbies include DIY and Crafting, Thrifting and Sustainable Fashion and Social Media Content Creation (Johnson, 2024). 72% prefer brands with a positive social and environmental impact (Wild Unlimited).

To give an indication of just how important image and shopping is, a poll found that 77% of the students when questioned at the start of their final year at school were more focused on the school formal than on their final exams.The average formal dress can cost $800, and the average cost of a custom-made suit can range from $800 to $3000.

A bit closer to home, QUT Fashion students can spend upwards of $400 per collection.

The outcome of QUT’s Social Impact Lab

Students grappled with all of these challenges to respond genuinely to our design brief. These articulate, creative thinkers made us laugh with project names that used word play to make sewing sound fun. They also thoroughly ran with our avian theme, creating project names based on birds or habitat.

Above all they were good communicators. No matter if they used storyboards, designed compelling graphics, or spoke eloquently, it was done with passion. The Nest Community’s vision for a resilient community where people and resources are equally valued, is safe in their hands.

Watch this space as the ideas unfold.