That's the question posed by the practice of a London-based fashion designer and academic, visiting Tasmania for a series of events this week.

Tasmania's spinning, weaving and fashion community welcomed the international guest this week thanks to a collaboration between the Bothwell Spin In and Fibre Festival and TasTAFE.

Julian Roberts judged the fashion show component of the festival before travelling to Launceston to host a masterclass.

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Across two days, 25 keen designers worked with Roberts in the Alanvale TasTAFE campus fashion rooms, with enthusiasts creating designs from found and gathered fabrics.

Roberts' renown comes from a focus on what he calls an "intelligent" approach to design known as subtraction cutting.

With it, Roberts works to ensure if he is creating waste, he can reuse it - either in the same design or another in future.

"If you make just one [item] then the waste is minimal," he said. "But if you're making shirts or jeans that are mass manufactured then the waste can become exceptionally large."

Festival committee member Rudolf Ramseyer said the visit would provide a boost to the community that would extend far beyond the visit, with a number of TasTAFE staff also attending the class.

"It's actually an extension of the Spin In Festival," Mr Ramseyer said. "On Wednesday there will be a lecture for tafe students coming from all over the state."

Allysa Drew, a fashion teacher at TasTAFE said it was a great opportunity. "The students really get the spin off off that," she said.

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