​​eBay Australia, supported by the Australian Fashion Council, has proudly announced Hatch + Make as a shortlisted winner in eBay’s 2025 Circular Fashion Fund, recognising their innovative approach to sustainable knitwear and circular manufacturing.

Hatch+ make was founded by Dave Giles-Kaye, Kirri-Mae Sampson and Nigel Whelan, three long-time textile and fashion industry professionals with broad capabilities across business development, education, manufacturing, design and circular economy. 

They saw first-hand the challenges of waste, overproduction, and synthetic reliance. Determined to create meaningful change, they founded Hatch + Make—a premium knitwear design and manufacturing venture built on circular principles.

We had the privilege of speaking with Dave about the journey behind Hatch + make, the lessons learned in building a circular business, and what’s next for the future of sustainable fashion.

1. Could you share some insights into your background and the journey that led you to start HATCH + make?

I’ve been in the textiles and fashion industry for almost 30 years now, and have worked across the board. I have seen a lot, tariff reductions and offshoring, the exponential growth of synthetics, the centralisation of the industry, the growth of waste, the mistreatment of people, and how growth and short term profit dominates decision making. 

I have a view on what I hope the industry looks like in 50 years time. It is one which is aligned with nature, still produces beautiful clothes and that supports 100s of millions of people, from the farm forwards. But, I have been frustrated with the lack of change for some time now. So, I thought I should find some like-minded people, roll up my sleeves and put our ideas into practice. This is how I joined up with Kirri-Mae and Nigel to start HATCH +make and our knitwear label, Brood.

2. Both of you have had extensive experience in the fashion industry. Dave you were previously CEO of the Australian Fashion Council and most recently, Executive Director at Waverley Mills. Kirri-Mae you also worked at the AFC as a Senior Project Manager and as a lecturer at RMIT. What inspired your transition from working on the industry side to running a startup together?

When looking at how I could have the most impact on the circular economy I realised that being involved in the design and the making processes was the place to be. Here we are able to determine the materials used, how garments are designed and we can steer production to the most efficient manufacturing methods. This is how HATCH  + make came about. We work on the design side, “hatching ideas” and then we “make” it.

We chose knitwear because, the way we do it, it is the most efficient and flexible type of garment to make. We use whole-garment and fully fashioned knitting machines which produce next to no waste (usually less than 1%). They also enable a business model where only the clothes that will sell are made.

3. As a partner for premium knitwear design and advanced manufacturing, how do you envision the future of sustainable and circular knitwear? What initiatives do you have in place to eliminate waste and regenerate nature?

Knitwear tech is incredible. We can literally knit a premium jumper all in one go. It comes out of the machine with sleeves attached and seams knitted. It is like a 3D printer but for textiles. We don’t have to cut anything out or attach anything, we simply tidy the garment up and put it through a finishing process.

Our garments and accessories are solely made from natural materials, and ones that have grown in nature. We won’t put anything synthetic out into the world in our products. We now know that synthetics take hundreds of years to break down, all the time polluting with their chemicals and microfibres. Our products don’t have any harmful emissions and can be thrown on the compost at the end of their long life.

We are working on a project in which we will repair used knits to give them a new life. We will soon be launching a “Repaired by Brood” knitwear store on eBay where we will sell damaged used knits that we have saved from thrown out and that we have fixed up. 

4. What drives your commitment to a circular economy, and how do you see the fashion industry adapting to a more sustainable model?

If you have a long term view, and I mean 50 years or more, then to me it is the only way. If we don’t work with nature, it will ultimately win. Perhaps not in my lifetime but it will, ultimately.

The circular economy gives us a framework to address this. That is, to design a new industry, one without waste, that values materials and ultimately regenerates nature. I find it exciting to realise that we need to rethink everything, and then to do something. 

I don’t think the industry will get there on its own. We need strong regulations, we need to incentivise progress and we need to be developing new processing and technologies that are attractive to long term investment.

5. What have been some of your most significant lessons learned in working towards a circular manufacturing model?

I think we need to learn to share more. A lot of knowledge and practice is hidden or protected. The task to transition to a circular economy model is so large and complicated that we need to find ways to do it together. At HATCH + make we are trying to do this through our open studio sessions.

I have also realised the importance of the goal of regenerating nature. All other circular economy principles lead to this and yet it is the one that is discussed the least. 

Lastly, when faced with a problem, being comfortable that a solution will come at some point, so long as you start to do something. We can get caught up in the big issues and never do anything. 

6. If you could impart one piece of advice to other designers or brands looking to incorporate circular practices into their supply chain, what would it be?

I would suggest working to understand the principles of the circular economy in some depth and how they apply to everything you do. Talk about it with people, nut it out, look at what others are doing, try new things. Think about your role in the industry and the influence that you have to make change. Then do something.

Discover more about Hatch + make through their social media channels or official website.