Mostly made with synthetic fabrics, these clothes release thousands of plastic microfibers into the environment whenever they go through the washing machine, polluting the world’s oceans. The “fast fashion” industry, or the mass production of clothing that’s cheap, low-quality and trendy, is a growing ecological disaster. Soon to be featured in the Smithsonian’s environmentally conscious “Craft Optimism” online market and craft show, Akita’s work is “180 degrees opposite to the idea of ‘fast fashion,’” she says. One of the more expensive items on her website, the “ice lava breath” jacket, has spiky red and white fringe along the shoulders and arms, with each spike sculpted individually. She takes animal-sourced fibers like wool or silk, adds a small amount of soapy water, then uses her hands to agitate the fibers (like a “massage,” she says) until they come together into a cohesive, compact fabric.Īkita forms her seamless, reversible clothing as soft 3D sculptures, essentially, then hand-dyes and paints them. Using felting techniques, Akita creates “wearable fiber art” that ranges from cozy everyday outerwear to avant-garde runway-ready fashion in her Sugar House home studio, called Illusion Lab. (Picture what happens if you accidentally put a wool sweater through the dryer.) As in, 8 feet long and almost 8 feet wide.īut as the garment goes through an ancient textile-making process called felting, it will shrink twice, down to a size that can be worn by the average adult. “It’s harmful to the environment in a layered way, and so this gives us an opportunity to think about the investment that we are making in the clothing that we purchased.When artist Jeanne Akita wants to create a jacket, she has to start by making an “enormous, gigantic” jacket, she says.
“Are we buying disposable quick turnaround things that are ultimately going to end up in the landfill?” Jean said.
But the exhibition - which will also feature behind-the-scenes content on the process of paper-garment conservation - is also an opportunity to pay attention to the environmental impact of fast fashion. “But because it was not practical or long term.
Fast fashion art tv#
“This is a new generation where the possibility of having a TV dinner in a disposable dress was totally new. The environmental impact of disposable clothing wasn't a concern at the time, Jean said. Plus, it was a time where innovation seemed limitless - new automobiles were designed, scientists constructed rocket ships and fabric designers created new fabrics for use across the country. The financial affordability of the dresses was an added bonus. The two years were an era of innovation, Jean said.įor one, it was a generation that arose from World War II. By the end of 1966, paper dresses had topped more than $3.5 million in sales. The ideas kept getting more creative - mother-daughter matching paper sets, paper bikinis, paper knit dresses, paper kaftans, even paper jewelry - all of which are on display at the museum exhibition.
0 kommentar(er)
