The Value of Clothing

The Value of Clothing

Valentina Chirkes

PUFD 2221: Design Studio 2

Parsons School of Design

May 2nd, 2023

INTRODUCTION

When thinking about sustainability it is important to focus on longevity. Generally, the longer an item lasted, the more purpose it served In relation to longevity, it is inevitable to relate it to value

This relates to time, use, need, origin, and story. In order to create sustainable products and fashion systems, we need to focus on giving products more value Through fast fashion practices, garments have become disposable, and access to constant new fashion gives people the idea that their closet can and should be constantly renewed. There are many ways in which people give material objects more or less value through sentimentality and affection, use and need, fit and aesthetics, or quality and monetary value. The most expensive items are not necessarily the most valuable ones Availability of and access to fashion also plays a part in this concept Carefully sourcing and curating your closet produces a valuable effect that can not be found through buying mindlessly. Brands and businesses constantly focus on giving their items more monetary value, marking them at a higher price point and therefore generating more revenue However, conceptual value, which may originate from physical or intangible aspects, is not taken as much into consideration. There are many brands today that are taking steps to create more valuable pieces and pushing conscious buying Through upcycling, one-of-a-kind pieces, and social work, brands are selling people more than just a garment, but rather a part of a bigger movement and ideology

PROJECT MUSE: MY FAMILY

Textiles should never end up in a landfill. There are all sorts of methods that prove that it is completely avoidable The main and most obvious is donating and passing down clothing to others Within families, it is normal for older kids to pass down their outgrown clothes to their younger family members. In my family, this is constantly practiced and there is always someone that will accept hand-me-downs They are not seen as used and cheap clothing, but rather as the clothing of someone you know and admire and who you would therefore want to look like as well I found myself constantly thinking about my family during this project, how they relate to clothes, and the habits that surround their dress practices My grandparents are constantly passing down heritage whether it takes the form of material objects, habits, culture, or learnings. It is part of our family culture and relationship and happens completely naturally My family (figure 1) itself is a functional system They are all very different but function very well as a whole. They are a representation of this project’s aim, as they represent a safe space for me as well as embody evolution, transformation, uniqueness, and community

PART ONE: INITIAL CONCEPTS AND RESEARCH

When trying to figure out a garment’s source of value there are a few key concepts to take into account: origin, use, affection, fit, price, and style The origin of a piece, how a person came about it, who it may have belonged to, the inspiration behind it, how it was manufactured and the shopping experience influence how long a person wants to hold on to a garment It may give the item an original perspective or relate it to someone we may know and love. On that note, affection is extremely important when generating value as it has the ability to generate drastically different emotions in different people Items may be related to a specific moment or person in someone’s life and are therefore a direct representation of it. Personal value does not have to be necessarily related to functionality and use but these are all still things that coexist in a single object. Some, although not sentimental or emotional, are useful and necessary, such as uniforms or socially-coded garments Price also comes into play as items that were worth a lot of money for the buyer are taken better care of and seemed as less disposable as opposed to those that were cheap or even free. In a capitalist society, people tend to take better care of items that require a great financial effort for them to acquire What is deemed as expensive and cheap is different and personal to everyone depending on their own financial situation. Finally, fit and style are two very important aspects of fashion Trendy and in-fashion items may seem more crucial than those that are outdated Garments that fit a person properly tend to get used more frequently and are therefore deemed more valuable and necessary, whereas garments that are uncomfortable or unflattering will probably not be worn as often

Possible System Applications

Visible Mending And Alterations

Although there has been a rise in the amount of thrift and secondhand stores available, they can only sell clothing that is in near-perfect condition, without any stains or tears Additionally, it is not easy for people to find items that fit both their style and size. Even though there are an array of used garments and textiles for people to purchase, not everyone has the time and ability to modify them into something that they would wear. The proposed solution for this problem is to use existing textile objects or garments to mend broken clothes, transform them into new pieces or tailor them to make them fit This new system could exist as an entire brand or store that sells mended garments, or it could take the form of a campaign that promotes fixing your own clothes and teaches people how to do it themselves It could also be a service that thrift stores offer to their clients. This system would not only increase the possibilities of secondhand garments and make them more inclusive, but it would also give people custom-made or tailored garments that would fit them better than what they can find readily available and therefore last longer. Customization and personal orders give the garment a story and therefore make it more valuable to the user

Figure 2: Garment

Paired Clothi

The second proposed system is inspired by my cousins, who are all pairs of siblings There are two sets of two girls, followed by a set of two boys, and lastly girl and boy twins. Because of this, my cousins and I have always shared clothes with our siblings and passed them down to the younger family members when they are outgrown Within the current fashion system, clothing has become very disposable and therefore enables people to buy items to wear once or that they know they can either get rid of or return if they simply change their mind It is important for new fashion systems to give clothing more value in order to enforce sustainability. This system would involve clothing collections that are meant to be bought in sets of two by two people The sets balance each other and can create an array of different outfits For example, formal and informal, and “feminine” and “masculine”1 . These would be bought by two people at the same time which changes the in-person shopping experience and promotes sharing Shopping with someone as well as sharing the garments with them already gives the garments a new backstory and value It also generates a sense of community in sharing and exchanging clothing, there’s a constant change in what’s available in your closet without having to buy new items. The garment’s lives are increased as they belong to two people and they both would have to agree to get rid of them It is also a useful system for young kids to explore how they want to express their gender through clothing, and easily have available more feminine and more masculine clothing to wear.

1 The words feminine and masculine refer to what is traditionally seen as gendered, not reflective of what my opinion of that is today

The final system explored during this part of the research focuses on family heirlooms and memorabilia This type of object is generally made or bought for one specific person and wearable for a limited period of time or not at all. Some examples include blankets, meaningful baby clothes, and fabric banners They are one of the few kinds of objects that have little to no practical value but lots of sentimental ones When people grow and move around, they don’t tend to take these items with them as they serve no practical purpose, but sometimes they are most needed when one is away from their childhood home This system proposes creating an object or garment that is made out of textiles that only have sentimental value. It gives a place to random textile objects that people may want to keep but have no use for them. The prototype shown in Figure 4 is a simple design that could be created and used by anyone It could serve simply as a blanket or as a scarf or coat. This system could simply be introduced as an object that people can recreate in their own homes or it could be a business that offers this service to people In this second option, clients would bring a box of their textile memorabilia which would be transformed into a single object. This system would reduce the volume of unnecessary objects in a person’s home or reduce the number of items that are tossed because they don’t serve a practical purpose. It could also serve as some kind of “rite of passage” when a person grows up or moves away

Figure 4: Paired clothing collections that achieve different style mixes

PART TWO: FURTHER CONCEPTS AND RESEARCH

The second part of this project aims to take the key aspects from the first part and translate them into one single system that could exist in today’s world All three proposed systems give the most importance to adding value to clothing and mixing practicality with sentimentality. These concepts indirectly align with sustainability as they increase the amount of thought that people give to their purchases while also reducing the amount of clothing that goes to waste It is important to also look at these new systems from an inclusive perspective. Bodily fluctuations and unique characteristics should be accounted for as the main goal of these systems is to increase the garment’s useful life.

Housing Works Case Study

The Mc Kinsey State of Fashion Report for 2023 clearly emphasizes that sustainability and tackling greenwashing are two of the biggest opportunities for fashion retail stores this year 2 The importance of sustainability within the fashion system has been increasing for a few years which lead to the emergence of greenwashing. The way of tackling greenwashing is for more businesses to adopt transparent business and communication practices To show that they in fact do what they tell consumers happens behind the scenes There are many brands that have adopted a more open communication style to let shoppers know how their clothing is made and who it will benefit One of these brands is Housing Works, a non-profit organization that “fights for funding and legislation to ensure that all people with HIV/AIDS have access to quality housing, healthcare, HIV prevention, and treatment, among other lifesaving services”3 They have thrift stores, bookstores, and an online store which they use to get funding to support their multiple projects. Their businesses provide “socially conscious shops in their neighborhoods and jobs for clients who complete their job training program”4 Through its charitable practices, Housing Works is already actively making a single purchase more valuable.

As part of this study, I visited their Chelsea location to look at how their store functions and how people behave in it and gather data that could help my project (Appendix D) The first and most

2 McKinsey & Company, “The State of Fashion 2023” (New York: McKinsey & Company, 2022), 15, 67

3 “Home Page,” Housing Works, accessed May 4, 2023, https://www.housingworks.org/.

4 “Businesses,” Housing Works, accessed May 4, 2023, https://www housingworks org/businesses

notable aspect of the store is that their activism and social work are reminded to the customer throughout the entire shopping process From the store’s window displays to the tags on clothing, people are constantly reminded that buying a garment from Housing Works is not just that, it is helpful for communities and people in need. It was also useful to see how people relate to used garments and what they look for at thrift stores Most clients were making comments on a garment’s brand or were looking for products that were originally from a reputable brand. Shoppers averaged around 30-35 years old and they were all dressed very stylishly but the clothing offered was more referential to older generations It was a commercial reference to what hand-me-downs are like in a family.

Initial Survey

Aside from the research conducted based on Housing Works, two surveys (Appendix B) were conducted in order to collect personal testimonials and generalized information The first one had an open-ended question format, as an attempt to collect truthful quotations from real people. However, the format of this questionnaire was not appealing to people and only collected information from eight people It did collect some relevant phrases:

“Ibuylesssecond-handclothingthanIwouldwantto It'shardtofindgarmentsthatfitmystyle andsizeatthesametime Ishouldalsogetmorefamiliarwiththethriftstoresinmyareabecause Ihavenoideawheretogoreally Ilovegettingclothingfrommycousinsandsiblings”

“MyfavoriteclothesaretheuniquegarmentsIcanfindinthecornersofthriftstores“

“Buying second-hand makes me hold onto clothes longer usually because I was searchingfor thatpieceforawhile”

“IwanttobeintentionalabouttheclothesIaccept.”

“I typically find clothes thatfitmewellbutoptnottogetsomethingsalteredbecauseitcanbe expensive Thesmallestofchangescanmaketheworldofadifference“

“I’vegottenclothestailoredthatIneverusedtowearandsuddenlytheybecomeastaple Ithink it’s because I careaboutthefit/tailoringthemostwhenitcomestomyclothes, it’swhatmakes mefeelmostconfident.”

Although this survey only collected a few results, it was useful to see that clothing is a personal and sensible topic for people For different reasons, everyone has a close relationship with their clothing Garment sourcing and fit are the two main topics to which people relate their clothing

Second Survey

In order to gather information from a larger number of people, a second survey (Appendix C) with a multiple-choice format was used This way, people are more likely to answer as it takes a shorter time and answers are pre-written for them. It consisted of twelve questions and was answered by fifty-nine people, the key gatherings were the following:

57% shop secondhand in some frequency

27 people said they shop secondhand because it’s cheaper, 18 because they find better items, 17 because they consider it a more fun way to shop and 12 said that they do it for sustainability purposes

13 people said they don’t shop second hand because they don’t like wearing used clothes, 12 because they don’t have thrift stores in their area, and 11 said they find it hard to shop

83% have favorite garments they can immediately think of

30 people said that their favorite garment is their favorite because of how it fits, 20 because of how frequently they wear it, and 19 because of how the garment looks

63% get clothing from friends and family at some frequency

59% consider that finding certain garments that fit properly is harder than others, and only 10% consider it easy to get clothes that properly fit them

54% said that they sometimes get clothes tailored

“MymostvaluablepiecesofclothingaresomethatpeopleIknowgiftedmeorthatIgotduringan importantmoment SomeIusealotandsomeIrarelyeventryon”

25 people said that they consider it too much work to go to the tailor, and 14 people said that it doesn’t occur to them to get their clothes mended, while only 7 said that they are able to mend clothes themselves

39% own a clothing item that they’ve had for over 10 years

22% consider themselves to be clothing collectors

All of these further prove the theory from the first survey, which considers clothing to be a very personal and thought-through topic for most people. It is also important to see that most of the responders are familiar with secondhand clothing regardless of whether they buy it for themselves or not The benefits of shopping for used clothing include lower prices and better items while the downsides are cleanliness and accessibility. There is also a relationship between fit and value, given that clothes that fit people better are worn the most and therefore found most valuable. However, most responders said they consider it hard to find clothes that completely fit them properly, and they don’t always get them tailored

These results help solidify the project's objective of giving clothing new value while focusing on fit and longevity. There is a clear misalignment between what people want and need from their clothing and what they are getting from the current market Everyone gives clothing a different amount of importance but nobody finds it irrelevant.

PART THREE: THRIFT & TAILOR MAP

Taking into account all of the previous research, the “Thrift & Tailor” map emerged (Appendix E) This map shows all of Housing Works’ thrift store locations in New York City and their surrounding tailors and cleaners This way, shoppers can look for the thrift store they are shopping at, and find which service is most convenient to them. This system is immediately available to anyone who needs it and connects shoppers with existing service vendors. This eliminates the need for thrift shops to supply their own tailors and services and encourages work from local service providers who already have their own protocols and methods in place

PART FOUR: THE PROVENANCE PROJECT

From all of the research conducted, there are key themes that stand out from the rest: quality, storytelling, and exclusivity From these ideas emerges the Provenance Project, a system in which designer clothing samples and mendable garments are redesigned or restored and sold through their story Customers can not see the actual garment being sold but are presented with the garment’s origin story or provenance This system reduces the amount of clothing being wasted as it uses garments that are stained or torn that not even second-hand stores can accept Through dyeing, customization, and mending, garments appear brand new, while still originating from a designer brand. This method of buying also increases the garment’s value as lots of people who shop secondhand are looking for a great story to tell or own It is a slow fashion method, as people are not keen on buying tons of unseen garments, which gives a high personal and emotional value to the garment without an extremely high price point. This system was tested using four garments sourced from Fabscrap This company sorts and sells fabric scraps and mendable garments from fashion brands These garments are often samples or prototypes that were discarded. Brands that collaborate with Fabscrap are already focused on sustainability as they give them their materials rather than sending them to landfill

Garment Mending and Upcycling

Quilted Jacket - Mending

The first mended garment is a Tommy Hilfiger quilted sample jacket (figure 6). It was missing one of its arms and was cut off at the bottom Because of this, it was transformed into a cropped al materials d additional nd color and

The second garment is a men’s tailored blazer (figure 7) that did not have arms and had a frayed collar and armholes The buttons were moved to change its silhouette into a women’s mini dress (figure 7). This took only 10 minutes, which shows that it is something that could be done on the spot at a store Bias tape was used to hide the frayed seams in the collar and armholes The total additional cost was $2 90 The changes made to this garment significantly changed its size and silhouette. These changes can easily account for gender transitions, and style transformations without requiring completely new clothes

Figure 7: Original jacket (left) and new modified dress (right)

Pleated Shorts - Re-draping

The pair of pleated These pieces were process took the lon possible changes to is not easy to achiev

The final garment used is a sample knit dress from Express (figure 9). This garment was completely torn on the sides but in perfect condition everywhere else The sides were sewn back

Knit Dress - Mendin

Figure 9: Original dress (left) and new modified set (right)

together and then the dress was separated into two pieces to form a top and skirt set (figure 9). Although this didn’t use any additional materials, it did require an overlock and cover-stitch machine to ensure the correct finishings for knit materials These machines are not readily available and should be accounted for. The process took 1:30 hs which shows it is a fast and easy way to change the style of a garment This could be a great option for long evening dresses which are generally worn for a single occasion and never again.

Partial Conclusions

Quilted Jacket Tailored Blazer Pleated Shorts Knit Dress

Changes Made Removed the arms, cropped the length, bound armholes

Moved buttons, bound collar, and armholes

Completely unsewn and re-draped

Mended side seam, cut, and separated into two pieces

5 hours total 1:30 Change in gender styles and silhouettes

hs total Too-small garments and change in style

Turning occasion garments into casual ones 19

Selling Experience

A trial selling experience was conducted with these four mended garments. The garments were packaged in a luxury-style manner They each ed had their own dustbag and tissue paper wrapping They were placed in white paper bags that had a description of the item inside (figure 10) This way, people could read and choose which garment they would buy based on the story of the garment (figure 11) rather than what the item looked like This method provides an innovative selling experience, unlike anything that people experience nowadays It makes getting the garment a bigger adventure and draws people to buy these as it is something unknown and unexpected At the same time, it doesn’t foment excessive shopping practices as people are not likely to buy tons of unseen garments. Human’s relationship with the unknown and intrigue is what drives them to be interested in this process but is also what prevents them from going overboard

Figure 11: Sample text on one of the bags

CONCLUSION

There are many ways in which value can be added to garments and fashion systems. Appealing to human psychology and studying how people relate to clothing is the first step in understanding how new systems can be implemented. Although clothes can appear to be just material objects, they are part of a person’s body and therefore interact with our minds and emotions The fashion landscape today is looking to be more sustainable, in every sense of the word. Reducing the harm to the environment and the need to constantly generate new materials is equally important as making garments that last longer, that people have more affection towards, and that they can cherish as part of their possessions.

The provenance project was a first step towards a bigger way of changing how we value clothing This system can give tons of garments new lives and uses It can be a new way of thrifting or taking care of clothing from past generations. It is crucial that people are presented with new ways to shop that make it inevitable for them to consider the impact of their actions and how a purchase could benefit them and the environment Human habits and psychological behavior play a key role in how people shop and the existing methods have become an unconscious habit in most Western cultures Taking more time to think and looking closer at objects could drastically change the way people behave in relation to their clothing and what they wear

APPENDIX A: STUDIED BRANDS

Zero Waste Daniel

Bode

QuaintMarie

Composé & Eileen Fisher

Mud Jeans

Ecoalf

Katalog

R-Coat

Rentrayage

APPENDIX B: INITIAL SURVEY RESULTS

Survey Date: April 9, 2023

Total responders: 8

Unedited Answers

Shopping: Do you buy second hand? Where? Why? How often do you buy new vs used? What are your favorite second hand clothing stores? How much do you spend on clothes? Which are your favorite garments? Do you inherit clothing from older relatives and friends? Share anything that relates to the shopping experience and secondhand clothing

I buy less secondhand clothing than I would want to. It's hard to find garments that fit my style and size at the same time I should also get more familiar with the thrift stores in my area because I have no idea where to go really I love getting clothing from my cousins and siblings

My favorite clothes are the unique garments I can find in the corners of thrift stores My go-to store is L-Train Most of the time, if I see something new that I want to buy, I’ll go thrifting first to see if I can find something similar

Yes, thrift stores like L Train and Beacon’s Closet

Almost all clothing that I buy is second hand Shows and accessories not always the case but almost 100% of the clothes that I’ve bought in the past 5 years Buying second hand makes me hold onto clothes longer usually because I was searching for that piece for awhile eBay, poshmark, vestiste, Mercari, Etsy They’re all my best friends Sometimes I’ll take my relatives clothes but I’ve become very particular about my closet recently and I want to be intentional of the clothes I accept

Yes - goodwill or other thrift stores (l train) Not very often but usually look for staple pieces

No, I do not buy secondhand I do not purchase secondhand because I do not like to use other peoples clothes I usually spend $300 per store or on something I like

I buy mostly vintage I usually find recommendations or just take a walk and look for stores

Tailoring: How easy is it for you to find clothes that fit you perfectly? How often do you get clothes tailored? Mended? Custom-made? Do you do it yourself or have someone do it for you? Is this a standard practice? Share anything that relates to sizing and fit

It isn't very easy to find clothes that fit me perfectly but they are also no that off I generally buy whatever's looser on me I should get a lot of things tailored but I always forget to do it

I am very fortunate to find things that fit me in most stores The only issue I have is sometimes the length of my pants will fit, but the waist is too big The only tailoring I’ll do is taking in the waist

I typically find clothed that fit me well, but opt not to get some things altered because it can be expensive.

I feel privileged to say most clothes I find fit me To the extent where I’ve bought pants online and they’ve fit, which I know is rarely the case I think it’s nice knowing which brands make clothes for one’s body type and I’m lucky that I fit most of the brands fit model standards Sometimes I’ll get things tailored that I’ve bought online and they don’t fit My thought process is that I’ve spent the time and effort to find this special piece, I want to get as much wear out of it as possible and tailoring will allow that The smallest of changes can make the world of a difference I’ve gotten clothes tailored that I never used to wear and suddenly they become a staple I think it’s because I care about the fit/tailoring the most when it comes

to my clothes, it’s what makes me feel most confident.

Tops is common and easy Bottoms not so much - jeans and pants are hard to find I get clothes tailored whenever I go back home (not in the US)

It is usually easy for day to day stuff. For long sleeve shirts, I usually like them tailored. I get 5 shirts tailored per year.

O usually take my clothes to be adjust by a tailor

Value: What gives your clothing value? Price? Use? Size and fit? Origin? Feelings? Time? What's your most valued garment? For how long do you keep your clothes? Do you collect clothing or certain garments? Share anything that relates to clothing and value.

My most valuable pieces of clothing are some that people I know gifted me or that I got during an important moment Some I use a lot and some I rarely even try on I've had these valuable ones for a while but the rest of my clothing changes all the time

Time, stories, and uniqueness I still have shirts from elementary school that I’ll wear as baby tees

For me the value of clothing comes from where I am buying it from and if i am willing to pay that. Sometimes I really like something but don’t buy it because i feel like it is not worth that.

Fit is super important to me. Also the stories the garments hold. When I buy things online, especially off sites like eBay, the pieces are actually vintage and they have stories to them. Sometimes the sellers will even send a note and I feel bad for sending them such a low offer LOL. But I love when I’m searching for an item for weeks maybe even months and then I finally get the item. It could be $20 or $200, my time and effort to find a unique piece makes that item invaluable. Some of my most prized clothing pieces were the distressed leather jacket (that I’m wearing right now) which I wanted because of the resurrection of diesel under Glenn Martens after months of searching I found the perfect vintage one from you’d never guess it, American Eagle

I keep my clothes for more than 5 years (or longer) Only throw them away (donations etc) if not wearable and if something is in good conditions I donate it Do not collect clothes and not an avid shopper

The value is mostly based on use and fit. Some fits I use 2 or 3 times per year, and are worth whatever I buy them for.

use, fit I keep them until I dislike them and don’t use them for more than a year

APPENDIX C: SECOND SURVEY RESULTS

Survey Date: April 11, April 12, 2023

Responders: 59

APPENDIX D: HOUSING WORKS RESEARCH

APPENDIX E: THRIFT & TAILOR MAP

Chirkes, Valentina. Thrift&Tailor. Google My Maps. New York: 2023.

https://www google com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=125Mp5N9F3ayl7cHS4oZSsSS2d0hdRdM&usp=sharing

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Housing Works “Businesses” Accessed May 4, 2023 https://www housingworks org/businesses

Housing Works “Home Page” Accessed May 4, 2023 https://www housingworks org/

Iweins, Barbara “Katalog” KATALOG Accessed April 13, 2023 https://www katalog-barbaraiweins com/

McKinsey & Company. “The State of Fashion 2023”. New York: McKinsey & Company, 2022.

Woodward, Sophie. WhyWomenWearWhatTheyWear. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2007.