Slow by Ann Finkel by mecagdthesis2020

Slow

Making + Reflecting Ann Finkel

Designed by Ann Finkel and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts, Maine College of Art, Portland Maine, May 11, 2020 Major in Graphic Design. Set in IBM Plex Mono, designed by Mike Abbink. Printed by Newspaper Club on 90 gsm bright stock, in an edition of two. All photographs and writing by Ann Finkel. ÂŠAnn Finkel 2020 All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Topic 01–02 Writing and Research 03–06 Introductory Projects 07–10 Creating the System (Branding) 11–14 Garment 1 15–18 Garment 2 19–22 Garment 3 23–26 Garment 4 27–30 Garment 5 31–34 Design Interventions 35–40 Collection 41–44 The Exhibition 45–46 Synthesis Writing 47–52

Dedication To my partner, who encouraged me to go back to school, moved across the country with me (for the second time), inspired me, listened to me cry, applauded my successes, and married me in the process of it all. It’s been a wild three years, and I quite literally could not have done this without your support. Let’s move again. To my family, who has seen me through 10 years of school and always supported me. My Mom, who has always been my biggest fan. For sticking by me and trusting that I would indeed finish eventually——I did it, Mom! And for always coming out to Maine to be with me. Matt, who is the reason I tried design at all. For always being a phone call away, and always genuinely curious about and supportive of my projects. Your genuine care and concern have always meant the world. Aunt Karen, for keeping me outside for the past three years, and for being my dear friend. To my design faculty, all who have shaped my education and practice deeply to the core. Margo, for teaching me to say “yes, and.” For giving me the chance to contribute to something bigger——design discourse, improv, and community; and for always encouraging me to try things differently. Charles, for teaching me about the grace in letting me lead. For being supportive of big ideas, and giving me the courage to say yes to this project. “If you want to make a garment, make a garment.” Brooke, for teaching me to trust my gut, synthesize my thoughts, sparking my love for research, and most of all for always being there to help. Sam, for always checking in, for your strong leadership, and for so genuinely paying attention——making us all feel seen. Thanks also for always being direct with feedback and my most favorite and valuable critic. David, for pushing me to be clear and concise in explaining my work, reminding me to ask myself why, and for reminding me to reflect on what I want. Mark, for teaching me about the importance of details and always considering another side of history. To my best friends, for being my family and support. Kiki, for inspiring me every single day, for being a literal light in darkness, and for being my creative companion. I look up to you more than you’ll ever know. Emily, because we did this together. And without that, I’d be nowhere. There aren’t words to say how proud I am of you for your successes, and for the person you are.

Notes and 1: Exploration Garment The Coat

Introduction to the Topic

“From an environmental perspective, the aim [of slow fashion] should be to minimize any undesirable environmental effect of the product’s life cycle by: ensuring efficient and careful use of natural resources (water, energy, land, soil, animals, plants, biodiversity, ecosystems, etc); selecting renewable energy sources (wind, solar, etc) at every stage, and maximizing repair, remake, reuse, and recycling of the product and its components. From a socio-economic perspective, all stakeholders should work to improve present working conditions for workers by aligning with good ethics, best practice and international codes of conduct. In addition, fashion companies should contribute to encourage more sustainable consumption patterns, caring and washing practices, and overall attitudes to fashion.” 1

For as long as I can remember I have been interested in fashion. I spent many years of my life drawing clothing, appreciating and buying clothing, and constantly designing garments that I wanted to wear in my head. For the past 5 or so years, I have been working to transform my closet and my love for expression through fashion into something sustainable––this means slowly building up a closet of sustainable and timeless items that will have a longer life. This has very quickly become the passion at the center of my life, which feels like the perfect lead into my thesis. I am interested in shedding light on what sustainable fashion means in a consumer driven climate that is in crisis. Through my thesis work, I want to show the ins and outs of what it means to be a sustainable consumer. Understanding that consumption is essentially the opposite of sustainability drives me to want to explore what this means for the population of people who are or want to be sustainable. I hope to use my thesis as a tool to explore ideas about sustainability beyond consumption––including repairing garments, recycling, and up-cycling. Social responsibility is an essential part of our lives as citizens of this planet, especially at a time when our climate is changing at a vast and detrimental rate. If we don’t start to pay attention to where we get our clothes and where they go when we are done with them, what they are made out of, and who made them, we will continue to contribute to a large and very dangerous problem.

Slow fashion is a movement fostering change in the fashion industry towards greater ecological integrity and social good. It is a multi-faceted topic, but broken down to its most basic form means considering the following pillars:

1. Empathetic design + making 2. Ethical practices of recycling and consideration for waste 3. Garment care and life cycles 4. Putting a wedge in fast fashion and ending mass consumption 5. Consideration for sustainable materials and resources

I am making 5 different garments (each with one pillar in mind) and using activity theory as a grounds for pairing homemade books and other projects with each.

Dr. Anna Brismar, “What is Sustainable Fashion?,” Green Strategy, https://www.greenstrategy.se/sustainable-fashion/ what-is-sustainable-fashion/ 1

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Notes and Exploration

Thesis Proposal Consideration for Waste

The process of finding my topic started with writing 100 words related to a general idea that we were interested in working with (mine being sustainability).

Supportive glances from Kikiâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;hi Kiki.

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Notes and 1: Exploration Garment The Coat

Writing and Research I originally was interested in exploring trends driving community (within design.) Shifting to sustainable fashion and thinking about how this is rooted in mindfulness/slow/minimalism— choosing smaller, more thoughtfully, driving away from consumerism; or even beyond driving away from consumerism, changing the way consumerism functions in todays world. There still are however, brands that drive the game. There are trends and certain styles that aim to be timeless but drive and follow trends. Initial ideas or questions that come into play when thinking about sustainability and trends: How does sustainable fashion function in a trend following world? How does slow fashion change the rhetoric of trend and season cycles? How does extending the life cycles of clothing (aiming to own a minimal amount of items for a long period of time) play into engaging in fashion in a creative way/personal aesthetics? Rather than playing into trends, slow fashion is the combination of ethics and personal aesthetics——the notion that engaging in slow fashion is a reflection of personal aesthetics. What are trends? Where do they come from? Positives? Negatives? Juxtaposition of trend and the timeless; are all trends timeless since clothing lives in cycles? Most trends come back into play at some point or another. Trends drive community, inclusivity, entertainment, production, economy; beyond the trend, what does the “staple” garment say? How can we engage in trends in a thoughtful way? Through tools like resale, trade, donation, up-cycling. What do I look for first when engaging in fashion? 1. style and composition 2. material choice 3. ethical practices MAJOR CATEGORIES FROM CARDS 1. conscious 2. sustainability 3. empathy 4. identity 5. pollution 6. less 7. cycle 8. economy 9. climate 10. education 11. choice 12. quality 13. socio economics

Slow fashion is changing the rhetoric of trends and fashion politics. 20 PROJECTS: 1. Infographics comparing trends to timeless; sustainable fashion vs. fast fashion——where do they meet in the middle? 2. Poster about the pollution cycle of a garment 3. Book: what a sustainable closet looks like 4. Folio series where people examine their own closets and habits and how they could change 5. Elements of a sustainable garment; includes a key somehow? 6. Interactive PDF; elements of empathy. Choice and support for new system of economy; an education tool. 7. Website with facts about sustainability, or sign up for some sort of club 8. App: Wear Cycle closet tracking and sustainable marketplace 9. Flier that could speak about lecture circuit 10. Post card/mini posters: How Can You Be Sustainable? 11. Invitation series (metaphorical). You’re invited to re–evaluate your closet! 12. GIF??? 13. Installation; How to make slow fashion inclusive 14. Sticker set for categorizing closet items? 15. Flag set (sewing project); represent ways to elongate life cycles of garments 16. Textile, similar to garment, sustainable elements 17. Editorial spread about social economics of sustainable fashion 18. Way—finding system——a map through sustainability 19. Identity for a slow fashion brand 20. Tote bag or apparel graphics? SNOW DAY ZOOM MEETING NOTES: Explore the words that you wrote down in your statement of intent Can you clearly in your head define by what you mean by these key words? Can anyone escape fashion? What does an item truly cost? What is fashion? What is sustainability? What does sustainable fashion mean? What is the spectrum of sustainability? What is the spectrum of fashion? You can almost do anything as long as you pick something and do it one step ahead of the other to complete. BUT, you can’t do everything——go into the language that you’ve put on the paper. Start to define for ME what I mean and what I am talking about.

How has this touched my experience in life right now? Personal sustainable practice; could be an interesting information design poster. Index of my own things and how do they cross? Why are these items sustainable? This could be a beautiful visual story. What design issues am I interested in? Of all the formal design tools is there one area that I’d like to focus on? Think of how to marry those things. Think about projects I’ve done in the past few years——is there a project that I’ve really enjoyed and why? This is MY definition now I’m going to use that definition to expose it, explain it, educate you. What are the 15 ways to become more sustainable with your closet? What does the clothing tag look like? Educational component? Information required? Thought bombs, energy sourcing, etc. How do you introduce this into peoples brains so that they start thinking about sustainability? How do you trigger people to think more about this topics? How has this affected me? Others might relate to it. Exploring all the notions that make up timelessness. Can you be stylish and timeless? Building the Closet: What do I have the most accessibility to in my own experience as a designer to make projects that are visual in whatever form they take? What are the projects leading me towards in terms of the larger story? The Closet: style, color, material, duration, cost, length of use, durability. Use objects in closet at catalysts for story telling could be as person as why I bought this thing to following the life cycle of that item——where does the fabric comes from, how much does it cost to actually make the material, etc. In a large area set up 3x5 cards——what we have just discussed. Make connections between them, a visual map of ideas that I have and see where they are and experiment and try to visualize a mind map of sorts. MORE BRAINSTORMING 1/20: Would love to do a magazine on sustainability: This could include “how to” graphics, interviews with community. Research the history of magazines——why is this a successful medium?

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Why is it my chosen medium for the message? The magazine has interesting function because it creates an ongoing conversation about such a large topic——it’s a somewhat “fast paced” way to inform. Make a list of people to talk to. BRAINSTORMING 1/22: Sustainable fashion is the rejection of consumerism; It is the space between ethics and personal aesthetics. It rejects trends. Slow fashion is changing the rhetoric of trends and fashion politics. BRAINSTORMING 1/24: Thinking extreme: Sustainable fashion bible or extremist sustainable guide to living. What am I truly interested in? The rejection of consumerism! Sustainable fashion as an inclusive and available entity—— not consumption. What IS sustainability beyond consumption? Or on the flip side, what is sustainable consumption? Start thinking preciously——make posters about the small topics. BRAINSTORMING 1/25: I like the idea of focusing on the closet, the organization and categorization of ones closet; knowing where your clothing comes from, what it’s made out of, and what is there to be able to thoughtfully craft outfits time and time again even when you get the age old feeling that “you have nothing to wear.” Also keeps coming back to CARE. How do you optimize the life cycles of what you have? How do you do this also when choosing to buy a new item——thinking of durability. DESIGN LED APPROACH What would need to be a part of the design process to play into optimum sustainability? DESIGNER MUST CONSIDER: 1. lifespan/durability 2. timelessness/flexibility to be worn many ways 3. resources and where they come from 4. what’s left over and where it goes 5. responsibility of the garment when the consumer is finished with it DESIGNING A GARMENT THAT IS: 1. multi-functional 2. transformable 3. durable 4. changes over time The success of this approach is determined ultimately but understanding and researching the audience and who will wear the garment, understanding the relationship between the wearer and the garment.

Notes and Exploration

Writing andfor Research Consideration Waste

Consider peoples habits and rituals of wear DESIGNING FOR EMPATHY Considers: 1. supply chain 2. wearers relationship to garment care 3. personality and unique characteristics 4. co-design 5. adaptability of wear How can you bring research into garments and wear? Human Centered Design Human Centered Fashion This continues to come down to choice. Human choice to engage in a system of paying attention——rather than passively participating in fast fashion. INSPIRATIONS: Illich’s idea of a ‘life of action,’ Open source design: IE. Linux. People have skills that they are willing to share and can collaborate on large scale projects without being controlled by a larger market. This offers the prospect of a more inclusive and participatory model for fashion. People work towards a collective goal. Maybe look back at the IKEA effect? Small actions of creative individuals. Technology and a shift in user engagement. Participatory design. Distribution of this would foster skills, pieces, relationships, and experiences that allow us to become better engaged with ourselves, each other, and the material world. Keep researching Otto Von Busch. BRAINSTORMING 1/27: “If you’re interested in making a garment, just make a garment.” This notion is pushing me to think more about what I actually want to make— which is garments. I’d like to play with the idea of recycled materials quilted together—a meditation of slow and methodical; tying into “slow” fashion using recycled material and exploring form. What’s in a closet? What’s in a sustainable closet? POSTER CRITIQUE/CLASS CONVERSATION: Posters are flat. Why is there a wall of type? Why is it all caps or what are you saying? Visually how are you drawing someone across the room to see? Remember the basics of 2d/hierarchy: What’s the opposite of flat? From a content standpoint it works, but how do you make it work graphically? At core: consider what you are really interested in——is it the space? If this is the case, BUILD IT try it make it.

What would people take away from this experience? How do you make a community and educate people? BRAINSTORMING 2/2: Why do I keep thinking about quilting? Evaluate the history of quilting/ research. Quilting and sustainable fashion? BRAINSTORMING 2/10: There are a few things I know right now: 1. I want to make clothing and plan on doing so—have four different patterns already. Will use sustainable fabrics and break down these garments to talk about how to consider and choose basic items for a minimal closet— taking down consumption rates and enhancing the ability to re-wear a few “classic” pieces. Could also talk about how fabric choice is important because of microplastics and pollution. 2. Re-wear, repair, recycle, Life cycles of clothing. Consider what I learned from project 1. Think about who made your clothes, where they go when you’re done with them, how you care about them, what they are made out of, and waste. These 5 pillars can be the guiding point of my entire thesis. What are the 5 pillars of sustainable fashion (according to my own definition)? 1. Garment care 2. Consideration for how items are made 3. Consideration for practices of recycling 4. What items are made out of 5. How to stop cycle of fast consumption Where will my projects go next? Outline the 5 pillars and think about how to make these graphic. This will allow everything else to work off of this concept. Continue to work through patterns and GO. BUY. FABRIC. SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. BRAINSTORMING 2/11: Preparations for meeting with mentor: WHAT MY THESIS IS: Sustainable fashion is based on the following concepts (or 5 pillars): garment care, consideration for making and material, consideration for recycling and waste, and an understanding for how to put a stop to fast consumption. WHERE I AM STRUGGLING: Understanding how I might tie together my actual making of garments with graphic design. Is my topic too broad?

QUESTIONS I HAVE: Following your method of make and reflect/action and insight, how important do you think it is to outline specific projects at the beginning? Do you think it’s dangerous to take it as it comes, and perhaps lead with more structure? I know you had mentioned Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas as a resource, do you have any other recommendations? Even beyond the topic but thinking more along the lines of: research, self guided work, etc. FEEDBACK I’M HOPING FOR: Advice based on experience Advice as a working professor BRAINSTORMING 2/13: A LARGE BREAKTHROUGH: Through the lens of making to understand (activity theory), I want to explore 4 pillars of sustainability. I will make 4 garments and with each garment I will use design tools (such as info graphics, symbols, tags) to explain one pillar of sustainable fashion. 1. Garment Care/Life Cycles 2. Consideration for making and material 3. Consideration for recycling and waste 4. Putting a stop to fast consumption (co-design, open source, empathy) Garment 1: Haori Jacket Garment 2: The Work-suit Garment 3: Chore Jacket ? could replace this with pants Garment 4: The blouse Positivity tags: shopping app where you can load in companies and subscribe. BRAINSTORMING 2/17: Consider the process a little bit more regarding how each of the garments will coincide with a project. Garment 1——Consideration making and material Garment 2——Consideration recycling and waste Garment 3——Consideration garment care Garment 4——Consideration empathetic design Garment 5——Consideration stopping fast fashion

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PROJECTS: 1. Small publication about each garment—material, process, outcome + paired sustainability topic 2. Small printed tags with messages about sustainability; these can be in the garments and can be sewn in other garments 3. “Branding” and designing the space

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BRAINSTORMING 2/20: Worked on construction of jacket! 8:30am-11:15am, 1:00PM-2:00PM BRAINSTORMING 2/22: Worked on construction of collar for jacket 3-5pm. Couldn’t understand instructions, went through a lot of frustration and discovered that following directions and being precise is incredibly important wanted to throw garment in the trash (but that’s a personal problem). BRAINSTORMING 2/23: 3:15-5:00PM worked on construction of jacket, multiple times redoing decided to forfeit and start new. 5:48PM new plan: Will deconstruct the garment, quilt scraps and then sew onto outer part, put it back together. BRAINSTORMING 2/27: Started to plan a very detailed schedule of work—— realized the intermediate and experienced patterns that I picked out are not going to serve me; better to be less stressed than more stressed. Spent time today picking out some new beginner patterns that will allow me to work through the process with less frustration and have more fun! Chore coat: 5 buttons, 1 yard fusible interfacing; 2.5 yards linen Linen slacks: 2 5/8 yards Long sleeve tunic: 2 1/8 yards of 45 inch, 1 7/8 of 54 inch fabric Shift dress: 3 5/8 yards Haori coat: bull denim BRAINSTORMING 3/09: Think about some sort of easy access one sheet free for taking. SYNONYMS: Sustainable——ethical, fair, honest, conscientious, humane Minimal——basic, essential, fundamental BRAINSTORMING 3/11: 10:30-1:30 cutting and pressing fabrics BRAINSTORMING 3/16: Critical reflection on making. What have I actually learned? Examining the amount of time it takes to make items by hand is enlightening when thinking about the cost of garments. BRAINSTORMING 4/01: Brainstorm how this can live in a digital world: 1. Online boutique 2. Build upon wear—cycle app

Secondary Garment 1:Research The Coat

Writing and Research

These pages were a pivotal moment in my research. Understanding the correlation between fashion and user experience design opened up a world of possibilities. This (and talking to a professor) lead to my research on activity theory.

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Secondary Research

Consideration Waste Writing andfor Research

I spent the first part of my year researching sustainable fashion for my Experience Design class with Brooke Chornyak. We did ethnographic research, secondary research, interviews, research mapping, mapped experience, and synthesized. Spending this semester researching propelled me forward when kick starting my thesis. Not only did I have the information that I have deducted from my own interest on the topic, but I had a great basis for understanding facets of the topic I would otherwise not.

These excerpts are from some of the books I found most influential in my process. Thinking about design (in fashion) for empathy and user led design felt like the perfect tie to graphic design. The page of notes came from a meeting I had with Brooke early on when I was feeling lost. Brooke gave me the encouragement that my topic was not too broad, and the lense of activity theory to explore my making.

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Introductory Projects Garment 1: The Coat

Project 1: Thought Invitations This project was a way to start thinking about a general topic and get some research under my belt. There was no considered outcome for this process and I think that was really important. I was able to step back from stressing out and step towards research, design, and process my thoughts.

These five postcard sized invitations serve the sole purpose of exploring my own research and processing my thoughts about where to go in my project.

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Introductory Projects

Project 1: Thoughtfor Invitations Consideration Waste

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Introductory Garment 1: Projects The Coat

Project 2: Typographic Poster

Early exploration in making typographic posters.

This exercise was meant to get the â&#x20AC;&#x153;juices flowing,â&#x20AC;? and that it did. Having to communicate precisely what my thesis was about in one poster really helped me synthesize my ideas and understand where I should go next.

After weeks of iterations and struggle, a useful critique from faculty on a Saturday morning in the studio truly pushed me forward. The poster on the right page is my final poster.

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Introductory Projects

Project 2: Typographic Poster Consideration for Waste

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Creating the System

Exploration in Branding

This is the extent of my brand exploration. I did not want to focus my semester on branding, but rather making the clothing and reflecting on that. However, I realized very quickly that creating a brand to tie the collection together would be important, especially from a graphic design standpoint.

The final logo for my brand.

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Branding

Creating the System

Brand Moodboards

These refined moodboards are an expression of the Sustain brandâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;they show the brand elements, the clothing, and the boutique.

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Creating theThe System Garment 1: Coat

Inner and Outer Tags

This garment will have a longer life when given proper care. Wash less, wear often.

Outer Natural Bull Denim, Lining 100% Linen

55% Rayon 45% Linen

This garment will have a longer life when given proper care. Wash less, wear often.

This garment will have a longer life when given proper care. Wash less, wear often. 100% Cotton Gauze

100% Cotton

100% Linen

This garment was slowly made to put a wedge in the fast fashion system.

This garment was slowly made with consideration for its wearer.

This garment was slowly made using sustainable materials.

This garment was made with consideration for proper care and repair.

This garment was made using secondhand fabric scraps.

Take care of your goods, your planet, and yourself.

These tags are an early version of the final inner tags. Not much changed, but the icons were all refined and then assigned to the appropriate garments.

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Creating the System

Branding Consideration for Waste

Pictured on the left page are the tags that went inside the garments. These are in a different typeface than the hang tags on the left because I had quickly heat printed them onto fabric at school when I learned of our extended spring break due to COVID-19.

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Consideration for Waste

Garment 1: The Jacket My first garment was the biggest learning process, and certainly the biggest learning curve right from the getâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;go. As true to my character, I picked a very difficult pattern when I have little to no experience sewing. I thought I could overcome this, but it certainly gave me challenges. I ended up not being able to figure out how to attach the collar to this garment, and the genius in me decided that it was best to start from scratch. I took some space and time away after trying to sew the first garment, and when I came back to start over, I magically understood the directions of the pattern and was able to attach the collar no problem. This garment logged a lot of hours compared to my othersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;at least 10 to boot.

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Garment 1: The Jacket

Consideration for Waste: The fashion industry produces an estimated 11 million pounds of textile waste per year. When designing and making garments, if we first thought about how to incorporate or start with scrap material, a vast amount of waste could potentially be eliminated.

Consideration for Waste

Garment 1: The Jacket

These photos outline the process of making the first version of the jacket.

Starting Over I watched endless tutorials, and asked some sewing experts for help to attach the collar on the first version of my coat. To no avail, none of us could figure it out (by none of us I mostly mean me). The tutorial I watched pictured right was interesting, but did not help. And so, I started over. I sat down over two days to conquer my new coat. The bulk of it was done in one dayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D; right before COVID hit and I had to leave school. Pictured above, the final version (2.0) of my jacket.

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Rejection of Fast Fashion

Garment 2: Gauze Top

After walking away from having completed an intermediate level garment, this garment was a breeze. I felt confident enough to even altar the commercial pattern. I changed the sleeves and eliminated pockets. I also chose to change the neckline a little bit by not adding interfacing. I was able to complete this project in one work sessionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;only about four hours.

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Garment 2: Gauze Top

Consideration for Repair: Fast fashion is the anti sustainability. Constant changing trends, mass production and consumption put a wedge between consumers and the items that they own. This makes consumers more likely to dispose of their clothing and less likely to care for the items last a lifetime. Slow fashion considers sustainable materials, practices, and above all the consumer.

Garment 2: Gauze Top

Rejection of Fast Fashion

The finished garment with minor changes from the original pattern. I decided to alter the sleeves and chose to not put interfacing in the collar.

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Consideration for Repair

Garment 3: The Pants The pants were a really fun one for me. Admittedly, I was intimidated after cutting the pattern from the fabric. There were quite a few pieces, and I had never attempted such a complicated pattern. I started off clearly with confidence, but ended up majorly messing up. I sewed (in detail: fully stitched pockets front and back included) two right legs. After taking two days and a few couch sessions to seam rip one of the legs, I was ready to start one side over again. Once I had a completed pair of pants, I was able to see that they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the appropriate length for me to wear. This led me to taking scraps from my jacket to make the hem a bit longer. I then decided that since these pants were to represent repair and durability, it would be a good idea to add some leg patches to give the pants a longer life.

One minor hiccup along the way (besides two right legs) was pricking myself with a pin so deeply that my finger swelled up, bruised, and was sore to the touch for a few days. Oops!

Final pants pictured above. They are the perfect pants for my long quarantined days at home!

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Garment 3: The Pants

Consideration for Repair: Most clothing is now mass produced and made as cheaply as possible. Consumers today place less value on the cheap items they purchase and generally treat them as disposable. If we shifted our thinking to caring for and repairing the items we already own, this would create a lasting relationship with these items increasing their longevity. This could slow the production of new items and eliminate textile waste.

Consideration for Repair

Garment 3: The Pants

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Consideration for Material

Garment 4: Chore Coat

This coat is my favorite item from the entire collection. The material (linen) lends nicely to the form, and it ends up feeling like more of a comfortable shirt than a structured jacket. This was also my first time adding buttons, and learning that they really are so simpleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;something even my small home sewing machine can achieve.

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Garment 4: Chore Coat

Concept: Synthetic fibers make up 60% of the material that constructs our clothing worldwide. Fibers like polyester, nylon, and acrylic (plastics) contribute to ocean pollution just by being washed. Using natural fibers when making clothing means no new plastics need to be produced, as well as a cleaner and safer environment.

Consideration for Material

Garment 4: Chore Coat

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Consideration for Wear

Garment 5: Top Two This garment ended up being one of my least favorite. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t measure myself before cutting, so it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fit in the appropriate way. The fabric I used was remnant fabric from one of my favorite designers Elizabeth Suzanne; and without being able to finish my seams properly without a surger, I just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think this garment does the material justice.

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Garment 5: Top Two

Concept: If clothing was slowly and thoughtfully made with the wearer in consideration, this could in turn create a longer lasting relationship between people and their clothing. This would mean less items are thrown away or discarded, freeing up landfill and reducing the rate of consumption.

Consideration for Wear

Garment 5: Top Two

The process of making this garment was simple and straight forward. The silhouette was simple, and with the experience of the previous garments under my belt, I was able to finish it in a few hours.

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Zeroâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Waste Garment Scraps

Garment 6: Bonus Top

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Garment 6: Bonus Top

Concept: Using old fabrics to create new items allows for less textile production and eliminates textile waste. I saved all the scraps during the making of my collection and with the addition of an old tea towel and an old deconstructed t-shirt I was able to construct a zeroâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;waste upâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;cycled garment to complete my collection.

Design Interventions

Garment 6: Bonus Top

This garment was constructed from all of the scraps from my collection. It was the first time I got to exercise creative freedom by coming up with the pattern on my own. It was the perfect last piece to my collection and to my semester.

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Design Interventions

COVID-19 Scrap Masks When COVID-19 became a serious concern in our country was early Marchâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;right when we took our class trip to New York. The fear was certainly real while we were there, and our class took precautions to stay healthy. When we returned and Spring Break came to an end, it was announced that we would have another two weeks of extended spring break. When I

received this news, I was sitting in the fashion studio at MECA working on my first garment. I was able to get the tags for all my garments printed in case I would not be able to return (this was the absolute worst case scenario). However, after time passed, we learned that this in fact was reality and we would not be returning to MECA to finish our

semesters, our thesis, or walking the stage at State Theater to graduate.This was difficult to comprehend and process (to say the least). Transitioning to online classes was certainly a difficult adjustment, but finally after settling into this new reality, I was left to decide what this meant for my thesis project. I was lucky enough to have sewing

Packing up my desk after I learned that we would not be returning to MECA due to COVID-19.

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equipment at home to be able to finish my garments, but I still was left thinking about how I could shift my project and adapt to the changes. I ended up cutting the patterns from fabric I had for the rest of my garments and saved the scraps. With some of these scraps, I decided to make some face masks that ultimately fit in with my collection.

Design Interventions

Scrap Masks

The making of the masks was a fairly quick exercise. I had already practiced two different mask patterns and I used both patterns to make masks from fabric scraps left over from my collection.

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Finished Clothes

The Collection When picking my patterns, fabrics, and constructing my garments, ironically I did not even have the collection as a whole in mind. I picked patterns that I liked (that fit my skill level), and fabrics that were sustainable as well as that stayed true to my concept——minimal fashion is a timeless rejection of trends. I followed my gut and discovered in the end that this collection fit really well together. The fabrics, shapes, and colors mended perfectly——I’m excited to wear the items in my day–to–day life.

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The Collection

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Finished Clothes

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The Collection

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Scale Model

The “Exhibition”

Since COVID hit and we learned that the thesis exhibition would not be happening (which was a heartbreaking reality after finding out that I was to exhibit in MECA’s front window with my best friend), I decided that designing this exhibit space was still important to my original idea and my goals for this project. I printed out materials and built my small scale mini exhibition——mini wine and cheese not included.

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Scale Model

The “Exhibition”

Textured details like wood and cork are a reflection of the brand and what the ideal boutique space would look like.

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Who I Am My Work My practice is centered in graphic design——the creation of meaning through visual communication. Design can be as seemingly simple as the layout of a page in a book or a sign on the side of the road, but can be as complex as the experience of traveling through a museum, creating an identity system for a large corporation, or a vessel for research, strategy, and exploration. The key questions that inform my work are: “how does it need to function,” “who is its audience,” and “what message does it need to convey?” Design functions to serve a specific audience and create meaning from a distinct message. Because of this, each project that I produce is made meaningful through different means and for different reasons. More often than not, I make work that is typography–based, and am interested in the way color creates an emotional reaction/interaction with the audience. However, process is the most important part of my work. I am deeply interested in human–centered design, design research, and design strategy. I love the thinking behind design, and am fascinated at how design functions best when driven by its audience. Understanding that human-centered design process is at the core of most of my work led me to explore activity theory for my thesis project. I am excited by using design as a vessel to explore other mediums, especially to explore making in general. Graphic design is a field of visual communicators in which designers work through many mediums. A graphic designer holds the power to create meaning with a specific message. My thesis work translates this visual communication to a new medium. Through the making of a five garment collection, I explored using design as a lense to shed light on sustainable fashion. Through my years of study in the graphic design program, I have learned a great deal about design and where my work fits into the field. I am interested in exploring how my work prompts interaction from its audience and connects to the world in a deeper way. Design holds the power to make the world more clear, concise, and fun; I am grateful and excited to be a part of it.

Who I Am My Inspiration I firmly believe that my path to design has had a strong influence on my work, process and identity as a designer. From a young age, I have been happiest when exploring different art mediums. Before coming to Maine College of Art (MECA), I started to push my practice and explored textile design and taught myself Adobe Photoshop. I found a community of people where I was living and began to sell my work at shows, teach workshops, and made an effort to gain knowledge from the people

around me as I progressed. Ultimately, learning to use Adobe Photoshop to create art led me to wonder what graphic design might be like——without any prior knowledge. This led me to MECA. Through my education, I was given the tools and vocabulary necessary to understand what truly led me to design, though I may not have realized it at the time. Not only did this education propel me in my journey to design, but it influenced me to explore many facets of creative work and ultimately explore making clothing for my final independent project. MECA’s foundation program gave me the tools to understand basic principles of art & design, no matter the form. In my current work, I am interested in exploring design for human connection, design as a vehicle for exploration, and design as a way to decorate the surfaces of our environment. Design holds the power to influence human– to–human connection. I am interested in exploring how language can bridge this gap——particularly in the way this can be done in the most direct and simple way possible. As mentioned previously, design becomes engaging when it utilizes language that is simple and accessible since it speaks directly to the viewer. This is similar to the theatrical concept of “breaking the fourth wall.” When the message is as synthesized as possible and it is distilled into clear, human–centered phrasing, it becomes automatically engaging. I find that when distilling the message down to encouraging and direct communication, I am more likely to want to engage with something and end up feeling like it is made for me or an extension of the way I live my life. I am also interested in exploring the balance between timelessness and trend——I love the community that trends create and the sustainability that drives lack of trends. Although design trends are often viewed negatively, I am interested in engaging with the idea that these trends actually drive community; they inherently bring in a specific audience and create excitement among a wide range of people. This feels like the perfect way to engage human beings with one another. Exploration (within or without the context of design) inspires and excites me. I love that good design (anything—a sweater or a page in a book) elicits exploration. It has the power to serve functionally but gives its audience the permission and the opportunity to explore and enjoy the unexpected. In a similar spirit, I am inspired by organic forms and natural materials from the landscape——rocks, wood, concrete, stone, clay, cork——and the way these materials live when they are taken out of context. The combination of the natural form in an unnatural environment creates an exciting tension that I’ve always been interested in exploring through my work. From the time I spent living in Texas before coming to MECA, I drew and continue to draw a large amount of inspiration from the desolate and rough West

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Synthesis Writing

Texas landscape. Using texture and organic form elicit the same meaning. Exploration outside of the lense of design feeds my practice as well. Traveling, walking, and seeing new things has always excited me. I feel balanced and whole when trying something different or seeing something new. This excitement is easily translated into creative energy and feeds my practice. Exploring new mediums and new ways of working is also essential to my practice. When brainstorming a topic for my independent project this semester, I knew I should pick something that I would be excited and comfortable working with for a long period of time. This drove me to choose sustainable fashion. I had always been interested in making clothing, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to explore design through a lense of making; and ultimately it satisfied my excitement for trying new mediums. Design as a way to decorate the surfaces of our environment is another concept that supports almost all of the work that I make and the work that I am inspired by. I love the connection between people and the objects they surround themselves with; the objects and materials we choose to surround ourselves with are all a direct expression of who we are and how we function in the world. I am deeply interested in fashion, architecture, interior design, furniture design, and graphic design. Each of these branches of design explores the same idea——human beings are drawn to decorating surfaces within their environment. This exploration of why we curate and collect drives everything I make. Human connection, exploration, and decoration of our environments all inspire the work that I make; however, my path to becoming a designer has had the greatest influence on my work and is my ultimate source of inspiration. Thinking introspectively about why I am here and the likelihood/chance of being in this specific place at this specific time is endlessly exciting to me. Continuing to make and share my work with the world propelled me to be constantly excited and inspired by art. Trying new mediums led me to exploring a computer program and then researching what graphic design is——which led me to my education at MECA. Through this education, I was encouraged by my faculty to explore many mediums; I was always encouraged to step outside of the expected. When thinking about where my thesis project might go at the beginning of my final semester, I had a professor tell me, “If you want to make a garment, just make a garment.” So I did.

Nayelli Gonzalez, “A Brief History of Sustainable Fashion,” Reporting on the Triple Bottom Line & Sustainable Business News, February 19, 2015, https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2015/brief-history-sustainable-fashion/58046. 1

Greta Eagan, “Modern ‘Eco’ Fashion Timeline,” in Wear No Evil: How to Change the World with Your Wardrobe (Philadelphia, PA: Running Pr., 2014). 2

What I’m Influenced By Sustainable Fashion, History, and a New Narrative Fashion has a long history——sustainability less so. The fashion industry has existed since the 18th century, and clothing for most of human history served a functional role. In the 19th century a transition occurred between clothing for functionality and clothing as identity. Early garments were made out of necessity and this shift brought people a sense of identity through their own chosen style. Moving into the 20th century, the budding idea of “fashion” spread rapidly through magazines and print. This had an effect on consumers and their desire to fit into the idea of “public taste” or trends. People wanted to feel like part of their own culture and found their identity through dressing. Sustainability has been inherently relevant in fashion from the first creation of clothing. Early garments were patterned, sewn, and tailored within the household and repaired/ re-worn until they couldn’t be mended anymore. Materials were sourced locally, and labor practices were irrelevant because items were made by hand——oftentimes by the person who would wear the item. A large shift in the industry happened in 1973 when the United States signed an agreement setting up a quota system to limit textile imports (to protect U.S. businesses) which drove up manufacturing costs. In 2005 the quota was replaced with an agreement from the World Trade Organization and suddenly companies were outsourcing manufacturing to keep costs down. This created a disconnect between people and their understanding about how and where their clothes were made.1 “Eco-fashion” as a concept came to fruition in the early 1970s. Within the counterculture hippie movement, there was an emphasis on chemical-free dyes, natural textiles, and self-sufficiency. This was a driving force for the founding of PETA, and larger considerations of socio-political fashion and practices.2 Today, fashion is everywhere. Whether an individual chooses to partake in trends or not, most items that can be purchased have a connection to culturally relevant themes and materials. The rise of conscious consumerism has been bubbling to the surface since the early 1990s. Large companies like Nike, Patagonia, Levi’s, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Puma, and Stella McCartney are re-imagining what style can stand for—— sustainability is a clear trend in the industry. ”Even as apparel companies propel sustainability innovation forward——designing sustainable fibers, launching chemicals management programs, enhancing product traceability and supply chain transparency, decreasing product packaging, and promoting textile recycling——the specter of fast fashion and its related environmental and social problems cannot be ignored.“ 3

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Fast fashion is so deeply ingrained in our culture and attitude toward buying, that it can be hard to see beyond this mentality. The more people buy at a reduced price, the more likely they are to take less care of these items and throw them away. There is an issue with the buzz surrounding the marketing of sustainability——often brands position themselves in the market by embracing the concept in too broad of terms. Adopting policies like reduced packaging, using recycled materials, or pledging to become carbon neutral are of course good for the environment, but problematic when they are done with a blind eye to matters like workers rights, water stress (in regions that produce cotton), and massive amounts of textile waste.4 Understanding the key concepts of sustainable fashion is a first step in changing the narrative of our contribution to climate despair and rewriting what the new fashion “normal” can and should be. Thinking about design as activism and activism by design has allowed me to frame the issue I am designing for——sustainability is a hot-button issue right now during a time of climate crisis. Although my thesis work will not come remotely close to solving this issue, nor will it be able to even frame the entire problem, understanding that telling a small story about what aspects can change and be made accessible to everyone in their daily life is at the core of what I am doing. Contemporary academic Dori Tunstall writes in AIGA’s Eye on Design about her research regarding design anthropology, “How does one understand the value systems of the community? How might the processes and artifacts of design assist in making value systems tangible and negotiable among community members and stakeholders? What are the processes and outcomes of aligning people’s experiences with the values they prefer? [ ... ] The process of understanding different and shared value systems and meanings has to be designed through visual, verbal, and embodied activities. Tangibility matters because it is easier for people to come to a shared understanding of positive change based on the things that they can see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and move through.” 5 Design holds the power to become this tangible vessel for helping communities of people to 1. frame their problem(s) and 2. find solutions to these problems. Using design as my tool, I want to show my audience what sustainable fashion means to me: 1. the importance of garment care 2. consideration for how items are made and what they are made of 3. consideration for practices of recycling and waste and 4. how to put a wedge in the cycle of fast consumption.

Emily Dixon, “The Problem with 'Sustainable Fashion',” CNN (Cable News Network, October 11, 2019), https://www.cnn.com/style/article/the-problem-with-sustainable-fashion/index.html. 4

Another reference important to my semester long practice is Activity Theory, which is a framework developed by Aleksei Leontiev in 1978. “Activity theory is a conceptual framework originating from the socio-cultural tradition in Russian psychology. The foundational concept of the framework is ‘activity,’ which is understood as purposeful, transformative, and developing interaction between actors (subjects) and the world (objects).” 6 Understanding this framework has helped me frame my own research and design and ultimately how the outcome will serve the audience——activity theory is by default making the thing to understand the thing. During my semester, I will be making four garments, each of which I will use as a vessel to explain and dissect my four outlined concepts of sustainable fashion——garment care and life cycles, makers, processes, and their materials, waste practices, and understanding the problematic framework of our fast paced consumption culture. The history of fashion and sustainability, the history of activism and empathy through design, and Activity Theory all place my work within a contemporary context that is built upon the past. Understanding and referencing these major concepts has helped me to frame my own ideas and develop a clear path for exploration. With this framework, I step forward to make. After all, understanding a topic propels design itself.

What I’m Influenced By A Fashion/Climate Emergency in Contemporary Context Sustainable fashion is relevant in the contemporary context of climate change––our world is in a state of emergency that requires immediate action. Introspection about our habits of consumption, and, even more importantly, the way that we treat and discard the items we already own is crucial and urgent. My thesis work is done to expose these notions. Although this is an overtly political statement, it is not meant to be aggressive but rather friendly. With my garments and surrounding work, I want to first invite a large audience to become intimate with the garments and graphic objects, and then discover the layer of information that lies beyond the garments––an educational stance on how we must change the fashion system. This work is relevant beyond the experience of making because it is informative and educational to a large audience. Climate change affects everyone and will do so likely within the span of our lives. In order to change our futures, we must take action; and in order to take action, we must know where the problem lies. My hope is that this work reaches a large audience—causing everyone who sees it to question their shopping habits.

Victor Kaptelinin, “Activity Theory,” The Interaction Design Foundation, accessed February 13, 2020, https://www.interaction-design.org/ literature/book/the-encyclopedia-of-human-computer-interaction-2nd-ed/ activity-theory. 6

Meg Miller, “Design's Role in Activism Can Go Deeper Than Posters and T-Shirts,” Eye on Design, March 28, 2018, https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/ designs-role-in-activism-can-go-deeper-than-posters-and-t-shirts/. 5

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Synthesis Writing

Like I mentioned previously, the graphic work that I am doing lies heavily on activity theory, which is an important aspect of user-oriented design and research. It is important for me to spend my semester working this way so that I can begin to understand how to frame my practice as a designer in general. Human-centered design is empathetic. It does not give the audience a message of its own, but rather asks its audience what message it may need——design then follows. Much like the humancentered design process, fashion often considers its audience in the design process. However, this process could better serve fashion designers throughout the entire process. Design has the capability to serve fashion in a way that could influence and change many problematic practices.7 Considering the user and changing the mindset of who wears clothing is a sure way to decline the amount of textile waste and discarded clothing. According to the New York Times, “In 2015, [...] the United States generated 11.9 million tons—or about 75 pounds per person—of textile waste, most of which ended up in landfills. That’s more than a 750 percent increase since 1960. For reference, that’s nearly 10 times more than the increase in the country’s population over the same time period.” 8 Understanding that textile waste is a large contributor to climate change and educating a large audience about what tools they can use to aid the cause is essential in my work. I am certainly not a fashion designer, nor do I claim to be after sewing only a few garments from commercial patterns, but I do believe that the ethos of my work aligns with a small community of designers. These designers source ethical materials and labor, sell in small batches, and make garments that become life-long basics. These brands are working to shift the mindsets of consumers and are creating a new landscape for practices of wear——they are considering garments as timeless staples made from quality materials. Small brands like Miranda Bennett Studio, Lauren Manoogian, and Elizabeth Suzanne are creating thoughtful and timeless basics with sustainable materials, fair labor, and little to no waste. Elizabeth Suzanne operates out of a small studio that performs design and production in one place. They operate on a made–to–order basis, according to their vision which is as follows: “We strive to create thoughtful, well–designed, and long-lasting garments. By ultimately creating season–less pieces that can be worn a myriad of ways, we aim to discourage the disposable view of clothing that has become increasingly pervasive. Our hope is to return to the days of a minimal, functional wardrobe worthy of care and passing on.” 9 Marisa Chentakul, “Why We Should Apply UX to Fashion Design,” Medium (UX Collective, October 26, 2018), https://uxdesign.cc/ux-fashion-2dff96a983a8. 7

Kendra Pierre-Louis, “How to Buy Clothes That Are Built to Last,” The New York Times, September 25, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/climate/sustainable-clothing.html.

Through intimate and friendly graphic gestures, I strive to reach an audience well–enough to educate them about our current corrupt fashion system, related habits and the effect that this has on our planet. This work is relevant because I believe that it is my duty as a citizen to vote everyday with my actions. Understanding the issues at play in fashion is important——we all partake in the system in one way or another with or without knowing it. I am passionate about sustainable fashion and excited about making clothing and I hope that this translates through my work.

Process and Outcome Throughout the process of my thesis work, I have learned an immense amount. I have learned about making clothes——something I have been interested in my whole life. I have learned how to trust myself, and how to stop and ask myself what it is that I want. I have always struggled with articulating what I am interested in, because I am usually invested in the present, the learning. This semester taught me that working on something I find truly interesting is an important step into my future. Of course getting my degree is part of that, but understanding who I am and my capabilities as a designer has proven essential in stepping forward into what comes next for me as an artist and a designer. I learned a great deal about sustainability in general——spending almost an entire semester researching the topic in experience design was extremely valuable to my independent project and pushed me ahead from the very beginning. I learned how to plan and delegate (time management). I learned how to self– motivate. I learned why sustainable clothing is so expensive (because making garments by hand takes serious time). I learned how to work through grief and turmoil. COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on our world, and though I am grateful to have my health and am privileged enough to have the resources I need and more, I truly had my heart broken leaving school with no closure. Working towards my undergrad for ten years has meant countless time, effort, mistakes, learning, and growth. I can’t put into words how hard it was to walk away from all of that work in these circumstances. However, after allowing myself time to process the situation and reflect on my well being, I learned to push forward. Even without resources I had originally planned on using, I continued to make work and finished my project in a way that I’m truly proud of. I altered my projects and adapted to change——I designed a new way of working. The outcome of this body of work is not as it was originally planned, but along the way I understood that a deliverable is the least important part of any creative process. Learning and adapting through process is invaluable and I believe that this is the strongest part of my independent project.

Suzann, Elizabeth, “Vision.” Elizabeth Suzann. Accessed February 26, 2020. https://elizabethsuzann.com/pages/vision. 9

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Bibliography Chentakul, Marisa. “Why We Should Apply UX to Fashion Design.” Medium. UX Collective, October 26, 2018. https://uxdesign.cc/ux-fashion2dff96a983a8. Dixon, Emily. “The Problem with 'Sustainable Fashion'.” CNN. Cable News Network, October 11, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/style/article/theproblem-with-sustainable-fashion/index.html. Eagan, Greta. “Modern ‘Eco’ Fashion Timeline.” Essay. In Wear No Evil: How to Change the World with Your Wardrobe. Philadelphia, PA: Running Pr., 2014. Dr. Brismar, Anna. “What is Sustainable Fashion?” Green Strategy, April 23, 2020. https://www. greenstrategy.se/sustainable-fashion/what-issustainable-fashion/. Gonzalez, Nayelli. “A Brief History of Sustainable Fashion.” Reporting on the Triple Bottom Line & Sustainable Business News, February 19, 2015. https://www.triplepundit.com/story/2015/briefhistory-sustainable-fashion/58046. Kaptelinin, Victor. “Activity Theory.” The Interaction Design Foundation. Accessed February 13, 2020. https://www.interaction-design.org/ literature/book/the-encyclopedia-of-humancomputer-interaction-2nd-ed/activity-theory. Miller, Meg. “Design's Role in Activism Can Go Deeper Than Posters and T-Shirts.” Eye on Design, March 28, 2018. https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/ designs-role-in-activism-can-go-deeper-thanposters-and-t-shirts/. Pierre-Louis, Kendra. “How to Buy Clothes That Are Built to Last.” The New York Times, September 25, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/ climate/sustainable-clothing.html. Suzann, Elizabeth, “Vision.” Elizabeth Suzann. Accessed February 26, 2020. https:// elizabethsuzann.com/pages/vision.

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Garment 1: The Coat

Consideration for Waste