CREATION IN QUARANTINE
2020
When Covid hit at the beginning of March, I was studying abroad at the London College of Fashion. After experiencing a whole other world, I was catapulted back into my parent’s home and quarantined in my bedroom for two weeks. My quarantine began as a time to finish projects from my semester in London, and afterward became a time to reflect. With so much extra time on my hands, it felt important to gather inspiration for future projects, try out new hobbies, and make new things. With a general fear of leaving the house, especially as I was at home with my parents, using items I found lying around remained the general theme for anything I made over the summer. I think that during the course of the pandemic, many people like myself were hopeful that we could use this time of subjected isolation to better ourselves and expand our skillset. With fabric stores near me only open for curbside pick-up, instead of buying new yards of fabric, I decided only to use the things I already had, which, as somewhat of a fabric and thrift haul hoarder, was a lot. I began flipping clothes I found in my basement into new garments, like an old button-up dress into a two piece set and XL pants into dresses. I was finally able to transform some of the things that I picked up at the thrift store because I liked its materiality into real things; it was the first time I couldn’t use the excuse “I don’t have time.” While I have always put designs for classwork at the forefront of my schedule, and during the summers always worked tiring service jobs, this felt like the first time I was my own boss. I could design for myself, in my little bubble without distraction and free from critique. Although this isn’t how I expect the real world to operate, the pandemic gave me time to explore things that I really liked doing and do them the way I wanted. Despite the pandemic, I was lucky enough to find an opportunity to work from home. I set up a studio space in my room with all my sewing tools. As construction has always been my favorite part of fashion, having my sewing machine with me helped me carry on and fill my free time. I was also fortunate enough to begin a position as a technical design intern at For Love and Lemons. This job was entirely remote, as the rest of the team with headquarters in Los Angeles were also working from home daily. Even though I was far away from L.A. in Chicago, I was still able to connect with the rest of the design team easily.I acted as an integral part of the team since working remotely required much more organization and planning throughout the stages of product development. Seeing how the team operated gave me insight and hope about how fashion developments and fitting can still take place during the pandemic. Only a few people and a fit model would meet weekly for fittings and I would be able to relay that technical information for the next steps at the factory. The pandemic has changed how people do things in all occupations daily, yet I think that in some ways, it has made creative work and actual work easier in certain situations. Although the idea of not being face-to-face with others was foreign at first, in the workspace it led to making more efficient systems that kept everyone up to date. In my personal projects and endeavors, I was able to work on my own schedule and make my own clothes which meant I could shop less. Throughout quarantine, I could move through different creative phases that all had expiration dates. Now, as I’ve been transitioning back to a much more fastpaced mode at Syracuse, I’ve been able to hone in on skills that I’ve learned and use them to think forwards in how I can apply them in the future.Adelle
