My practice explores sustainability in fashion and textile design, its interconnectivity with identity, heritage, memory and the concept of post-production within art. These themes are intertwined in our clothing like a woven fabric, in this case, denim.
For my final university project, I designed the quintessentially British trench coat by up-cycling denim jeans; a cultural product with global reach. My design utilises Japanese textile techniques and the larger weave is a nod to the extensive history of denim, recreating the same twill pattern but on a much larger scale to highlight the craftsmanship involved.
The multi-use design can be adapted multiple ways to maximise utility: as a trench coat, jacket, vest and even a bag.
The immersive installation is overflowing with a "sea" of denim which is not only symbolic of the overconsumption and overproduction of clothing in conventional society but also illustrates the extreme quantities of water used in the process: 3781 litres makes just one pair of jeans (according to UNEP). Fast fashion has not only amplified problems such as global water pollution and popularising the use of synthetic fibres made from fossil fuels, over 100 billion new garments are produced annually, even though there is already enough clothing for the next 6 generations. I urge viewers to try not to fall into this media propaganda of this constant need for novelty and thinking of clothes as disposable objects, and urge them to make better more sustainable choices particularly when it comes clothing.
My work bridges art, fashion and social commentary with the goal of sparking conversation and action around sustainability.
