2nd Hand(s) on My Body: the event blending fashion, art, sustainability, and community
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Fashion, art, sustainability, and the world of pole dance – this might just be the most fun-filled fashion event to be held in Canberra.
And after a successful trial run, it’s ready to go public.
Created by music producer and pole dancer James Northwood (who you might otherwise know as Erotika Dabra), 2nd Hand(s) on My Body began as a private event to celebrate creating art on a budget.
The goal? To raise awareness about the benefits of donating and purchasing second-hand clothing while also promoting creative self-expression through pole dancing.
Inspired by James’ passion for thrifting clothing, and their role as an ambassador for The Brass Room, they say that they want to help share the stories and talents of Canberra’s creative community.
“There’s a lot of people suffering and struggling to engage with art at the moment…I hate this idea that art is for the elite and is produced by the elite. I want it to be seen as accessible and everyone can make art,” explains James.
“I also wanted to create a platform to de-stigmatise and make something magical for people who don’t necessarily get the opportunity to do this.”
Celebrating second-hand fashion while spotlighting the creative pole-dancing community, for two and a half hours, attendees explored local op-shops in Braddon to style second-hand outfits, which was then followed by a studio photoshoot – featuring everyone’s best second-hand looks – at The Brass Room’s city studio.
Reflecting on the experience, James says that at a minimum they wanted to have the conversation that there is dignity in upcycling clothing.
“I’ve been with friends who haven’t done op-shopping before, and they were really nervous about going in. And I know, as a non-binary person myself, regular shops can be confronting, I get shamed out of shops still,” they say.
“Part of the event was to show people how to op shop and how to have fun shopping.”
Explaining that the first version of 2nd Hand(s) on My Body was open only to the pole community to work out the kinks and to let the dancers express themselves without concerns about discomfort, James says that the result of the event could be summed up in four words: “An immensely fun day.”
“My community who showed up in Canberra’s 30+ heat for the day repeatedly said ‘yes’ to every idea and it resulted in a psychologically safe space for us to be creative and vulnerable,” they say.
“That is the exact experience I would love to recreate for others when we scale the idea, and it helped me to crystallise exactly what the outcomes are that I resonate with.”
Planning to hold another session of 2nd Hand(s) on My Body in February 2025, the next iteration of the event will be open to the public.
With plans in the works to add in a clothes swap during the photo shoot, as well as a live performance from some of the studio’s community, James says it will be a great chance for people to explore how sustainability and feeling sexy can go hand in hand.
That’s also why James named the event ‘2nd Hand(s) on My Body’.
“You can be sexy in a second-hand look, and you can be empowered in a second-hand look,” they say.
“I wear second-hand clothing most of the time, and I try to advertise the fact I’m wearing it. I love the dialog that happens when people are quite shocked at the fact that I’m wearing something second-hand… ‘On My Body’, that’s the empowerment and pole component.”
Hoping to encourage attendees already on a self-love journey to consider ‘what if?’, with more details to come, keep an eye out.
Images supplied.
