Thesis Process Book

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LONGEVITY IS THE NEW BLACK: FROM SECOND HAND TO READY-TO-WEAR PROCESS BOOK

MDST 4022 April 10, 2009 Submitted To Twyla Gibson

INTRODUCTION This process book documents the steps taken to complete my environmentally friendly, women’s clothing line. Inside, you will see my original sketches, as well as the second hand textiles in their original state.

The collection was inspired by nature and the social affects of the recession. This theme is juxtaposition: a new collection of garments created out of old textiles. There are aspects of fragility in the fabrics and colours, which are reflective of the economy and the earth – simultaneously, the collection symbolizes strength, as each of the pieces were reconstructed from an old, second hand garment. Each piece signifies the end of a textile in its original state, and the beginning of a new life cycle by the creation of a new, wearable item of clothing.

Lose yourself in the ethereal colour palette of yellows, pinks, peaches and light denim and observe construction of a second hand textile on the brink of ending up in a landfill into a unique, one-of-a-kind, wearable garment. This environmentally friendly clothing line is a small step in contributing to a sustainable way of a being.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 03. Fabrics in Original State 05. Garment Sketches 07. Power Pink Ruffle Dress 09. Depression-Free Denim Dress 11. Triumph Yellow Tulip Skirt 13. Power Peach Bubble Skirt 15. Victory Grey Blouse 17. Victory Grey Dress 19. White Eyelet Pure Dress 21. Power Pink Casual Dress

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FABRICS IN THEIR ORIGINAL STATE

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01. Lace Curtain / Power Pink Ruffle Dress 02. Jeans / Dperession-Free Denim Dress 03. Shorts / Triumph Yellow Tulip Skirt 04. Curtains / Power Peach Bubble Skirt 05. Tablecloth / Victory Grey Blouse & Dress 06. Bed Duster / White Eyelet Pure Dress 07. Bed Sheet / Power Pink Ruffle & Casual Dress

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GARMENT SKETCHES

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POWER PINK RUFFLE DRESS The Power Pink Ruffle Dress is made out of second hand rose coloured lace curtains and a second hand rose coloured bed sheet. The design inspiration for this dress is the troublesome economic situation and vulnerability of the earth. The right side of the dress has four tiers sewn onto it, and each of the tiers represents the levels of the current economic situation. The lace is representative of the soft, delicate nature of the world around us: whether it be the fragility of the natural environment in terms of air and water quality, or the pollution emitted by textile industries. It also can represent the weakness of our economy.

The dress is paired with lace stockings as an edgy-look to demonstrate to consumers that environmentally friendly clothing does not have to look it. Can be dressed up and down easily, as seen in the photos.

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DEPRESSION-FREE DENIM The Depression-Free Denim Dress is reconstructed from an old pair of denim jeans. The bust of the dress is made from the crotch of the jeans. The skirt of the dress is constructed from the legs: the seams were ripped apart, then sewn back together to double the width.

Notice the over-sized bow, which has been strategically placed to cover up the button and zipper fly on the bust of the dress. The bow is created from the excess material in the denim.

The depression-free denim dress is an ode to the working-class, so strongly affected by the recession, and so often symbolized wearing denim jeans. This dress represents making the most of out something considered average, like denim, and creating something beautiful, unique and durable.

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TRUIUMPH YELLOW TULIP SKIRT The make-do-and-mend techniques advised to “cut a women’s skirt from a pair of men’s pants upside down to allow for more flare on the skirt”. This method was utilized in the Triumph Yellow Tulip Skirt. The skirt is made out of an old pair of shorts, and cut upside down to create an A-line shape. It has an enlarged hem on the bottom, which allows for it to be easily altered. The one inch strip of extra fabric from the bottom of the shorts is sewn together and turned into a belt.

The inspiration for the Tulip skirt was obvious to me because of the pattern and shape of the skirt. It symbolically represents the Victory Gardens promoted in many of the 1940s magazines, like McCall’s and Ladies Home Journal. The concept of a victory garden is growing ‘your own’ crops in ‘your own’ garden. I took this idea and applied it to clothing companies and textiles industries.

Simply, this skirt represents slowing down the mass-production of garments, and creating ‘your own’ clothing in ‘your own’ backyard.’

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POWER PEACH BUBBLE SKIRT The Power Peach Bubble Skirt is created out of second hand balloon curtains. This item was rather simple to construct: it was cut and the two ends were sewn together. To fasten the skirt, two buttons from a second hand dress in my closet were used. The skirt was inspired by the credit bubble, which has had a huge impact on why we are in the recession, as stated in the review of literature.

Like all of the other garments designed, the power peach bubble skirt is multi-purposeful.

In the photos, it is paired with a grey t-shirt giving the skirt a laid-back feel, but, if paired with a blouse, the skirt immediately becomes dressed up.

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VICTORY GREY BLOUSE More material was available in the grey tablecloth, and as a result, two garments were created out of it: A blouse and a dress were created in Victory Grey. The item photographed here is the Victory Grey Blouse.

Complete with bat winged sleeves and a pleated front; this garment acts as another multi-purposeful item. It is paired with a thrifted leather mini-skirt and fedora, which promotes a young, edgy vibe. But paired with denim, it becomes more casual, and if paired with pumps and a pencil skirt, the blouse becomes formal.

This item is the only garment where I ran out of fabric, and thus, the neck of the blouse does not look finished. It should have a one inch collar to create a more sophisticated feel.

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VICTORY GREY DRESS The Victory Grey Dress is the second garment created from the extra textile in the second hand tablecloth used for the Victory Grey Blouse. This dress is incredibly versatile: it is just as easy to dress up and down as the blouse. With the addition of opaque tights and ankle boots, the dress has a more casual appearance, but still looks clean and functional.

In the photos, the dress is paired with a vintage sequined blazer to demonstrate the adaptability of the piece.

The inspiration for this dress came from the colour. The grey is symbolizing the many shades of grey in the economy.

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WHITE EYELET PURE DRESS One of my favourite pieces is the triple tiered White Eyelet Pure Dress created out of a second hand bed duster. The inner material of the bed duster (the part that laid on the mattress), is used as bodice of the dress, and tiers of eyelet are sewn on from the bottom up, gradually getting smaller.

The rationale of the tiers moving from large to small denotes the actual shrinking of the environment as it becomes more polluted, and the decline in the world’s stock markets. The colour, a white eyelet denotes the wholesomeness and innocence, as well as a clean canvas.

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POWER PINK CASUAL DRESS The Power Pink Casual Dress is constructed out of excess textile from the Power Pink Ruffled Dress bed sheet. Inspired by the simplicity of the WWII make-do-and-mend patterns, the classic cut dress has extra large bell-sleeves.

The extreme bell-sleeve detail was specifically chosen to because of the bell shape, which resembles a hill. This was used to illustrate the ups and downs in the economy: the slow climb upward, balancing act at the top, and the steep fall downward.

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