OppSpot founder Sophie Noonan chats with Natalie Kyriacou OAM about her incredible new book, Nature’s Last Dance. They talk about why connecting with nature matters, the real impact of fast fashion, and how normalising secondhand shopping and supporting innovative start-ups like repair cafés and waste-based textiles can make sustainable living easier (and more fun).
People often want to look away when it comes to talking about our impact on nature. It feels scary and hopeless and that’s not something we, as people, feel comfortable sitting with. How did you go about making people want to lean in rather than look away in your book, Nature's Last Dance?
People are absolutely checking out of the environmental crisis. The scale and scope feel overwhelming, and there are so many doom-and-gloom headlines. Everyone knows it’s bad, but it’s hard to engage. One of the main things I wanted to do with my book was help people fall in love with nature and make it mainstream.
I didn’t want it to be a niche “nature book” where people think, "This is a noble cause, but it’s not for me.”
I wanted people from all walks of life to realise there’s joy in nature, that it’s embedded in their lives. So I used funny, interesting, joyful and sometimes tragic stories to bring those themes to life and help people feel something.
That same head-in-the-sand approach is often taken with fashion, too. Whilst researching for Nature's Last Dance, did you uncover any info on the impact of fast fashion that surprised you?
Yes! One of the main takeaways for me was that it’s really the wealthiest 10% of the global population driving mass consumerism and the negative consequences of fashion, and that includes us in Australia and the US. It’s confronting. I became interested in the systems that drive this behaviour.
One chapter of my book looks at how we demonstrate worth and desirability. Do we really need to show our status through new clothes?
I see a huge opportunity for influencer culture to promote alternative narratives - showing value in something other than fast fashion.
I find hope in the potential for cultural change, which we’re already starting to see.
You can buy Nature's Last Dance online here.
People look up to social media figures and celebrities and that culture of "more more more" trickles down. Coupled with micro trends and the algorithms pushing us to purchase, it all adds up to overconsumption.
Exactly. But there are some exciting innovations. In Europe, people are making silk from spoiled milk and starting circular-economy projects. Repair cafés are popping up everywhere, run by volunteers, where you can mend clothes, fix your bike, or repair electronics. It’s about saying we don’t need to throw things out every year. Seeing these innovations is inspiring.
This quote from your book is so moving “very often the destruction of nature goes hand in hand with the exploitation and marginalisation of vulnerable communities” - it’s something so universally true and so relevant to the fashion industry and, in particular, many garment workers. Was this a connection you also noticed?
I see fast fashion as a form of modern colonialism. Rich countries outsource environmental harm to poorer countries, often black and brown communities, who are expected to be the world’s factory. We pay them a fraction of the cost, consume at mass scale, then send our waste back to them. It’s an unfair, inequitable global system.
The people making our clothes don’t share in the wealth; they endure the pollution and exploitation.
We dehumanise these communities. We need to remember the stories and faces behind every garment and choose empowerment rather than exploitation.
In the book I ask, “Does the shine justify the stain?” We all know everything we buy has an impact, but we don’t need to buy so much. When we know the story behind an item, the designer, the maker, the origin - it becomes powerful. Choosing sustainably can be a story of empowerment rather than exploitation.
There will be people who say, "Fashion brings me pleasure. It’s my indulgence." Is there a way to indulge without contributing to the incredible oversupply of fashion items that already exist?
I’m not saying don’t treat yourself. But the rate at which we’re purchasing goes beyond joy and feels unhealthy. We’re pressured to consume by social media, influencers, corporations, algorithms.
I’d ask people to reflect: are you actually finding joy in this much consumption, or are you responding to systemic pressure?
Does it come from insecurity, feeling we’re not enough without new outfits, or from genuine joy? It’s worth reflecting on.
How do you approach finding secondhand clothing?
I’m a big op shopper. I also hire clothes for events. One of my frustrations is why we don’t have op shops in shopping centres - why can’t there be one next to Myer? Why can’t more fashion brands team up with secondhand stores? We need to integrate secondhand clothing more deeply into society. I’ve found some of my favourite outfits in op shops.
What’s the best thing you’ve ever thrifted?
A beautiful camilla and marc sarong-style skirt! The quality is incredible and I always get compliments. I’ve also picked up a great coat and some lovely handbags.
I wear it as a badge of honour when people compliment my outfit and I can say it’s from an op shop and it encourages others to do the same.
I also love hard-rubbish days in my neighbourhood. People throw out pristine, expensive furniture that I can pick up for free. It’s amazing. We need to destigmatise that.