Reel created with instagram to show the making of my garment:
Over the last week or so I have been looking at making my final sustainable garment using items bought from the charity shop for £10.
The overall theme for my garment looks at climate change and the ways in which the fashion industry is polluting our world.
The entire front mini skirt is made 100% from scrap fabrics and recycled materials, and the top of the dress is made from up cycled second hand charity shop garments. I also created my train from old bedsheets.
I’ve overall really enjoyed working on the sustainable garment as the theme is something I’m really passionate about - I think the fashion industry really needs to move towards ways in which we can repurpose old, existing textiles rather than creating new ones, and move towards a much more circular approach. I’ve also loved learning about different mending techniques such as darning and boro stitching - mending is something that has almost become a dying art because, with the rise of fast fashion, it’s become more and more easy for people to replace old clothes with new ones.
For my final garment, I looked at using techniques I have previously researched such as crazy patchwork, reverse appliqué and again the boro stitching all in order to showcase ways in which we can repurpose old fabrics that would normally go to waste. I particularly liked working with the crazy patchwork technique because I find it amazing to see how we can actually turn tiny, ordinary useless scraps into really beautiful textiles.
The overall waterfall shape of the high low hem draws attention to the mass water consumption within the industry, particularly used in the making of cotton. I also explored the harmful effects of things like dyeing polluting natural waters. My final garment also includes a matching mask made up of spare fabric to draw our attention back to the idea of pollution and air pollution.
The overall dress (with a train) is quite a standout piece with a lot of techniques and ideas combined. - it was really important to me that my design was exaggerated and bold in order to convey the urgency of the message.
The sewing of the garment worked quite nicely as everything came together well. Some things I could’ve improved include looking at the bulk of the garment - unfortunately the seams are quite thick and bulky, however the extra fabric support was important in holding the train up in place. I also had some problems with inserting my zip and this was likely again due to the bulk, however I think the problem with second hand items is that they can sometimes be faulty - I eventually had to replace the zip with a new one.
With more time I would’ve also liked to have looked at the hemlines in more detail - I could’ve looked to have created more unusual shaping drawn upon lines from research e.g. the Aral Sea.
However I am overall really pleased with the outcome, and definitely enjoyed creating the garment. The resulting garment produced a little scrap/ waste fabric, however I am confident that this can be repurposed in use for things like experimentation and samples for future projects. I also really liked the fabrics myself so I could maybe make a top or something else out of it.
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