Finally being able to do something fashion-related made me very happy. Our tutors lead us to a room for a brief lesson on toiling, {Though this was all I did during A levels!} However, there was a twist – and that was that we were only allowed to toile with shirts/T-shirts that we bought in. In using what was already there, the seams, stitching detail and such we were asked to create a completely new way of wearing that garment, at first by just draping and pinning on mannequin, then eventually starting to cut the garment and experimenting with more new ways of using that garment. The aim of this project was primarily considering possibilities of recycling – which is actually quite a large issue with the world.I could argue that recycling is a whole new form of art itself – In giving something that was old and unwanted – a new use, we are helping the world, towards a greener future, and giving purpose to useless things – addressing a deeper issue at hand.
Reflecting upon this, I recently continued my contextual studies with a fashion designer named Ma Ke.
Ma Ke is a fashion designer, based in China who created a line named “Wu Yong” directly translated meaning worthless/useless. And the aim of this collection was to present a series of clothing that was created purely from unused materials at home, such as bedsheets and curtains. This collection was described as ‘Political’ in a sense since it targeted the way the world wasted perfectly re-usable materials and this itself is slowly snowballing into a much larger issue, as the human population are creating more waste than the world is capable of disposing in the time given.
I personally loved the fact that Ma Ke created fashion for purposes outside of aesthetics, the line is actually very powerful and it is this kind of fashion that sits on the line that separates art, fashion and politics.
In my response to this, I created a neckpiece of pleats and ruffles out of old calico and a dress that I hardly wore anymore. I found myself a stunning model {KuriPurii} and conducted my own reflection of Ma Ke’s work.
The backgrounds are photoshopped and I wanted to send the same message as her line did – the “abandoned fashion”. In which there is a deeper meaning and hidden beauty. I was quite pleased with the outcomes and think that they responded appropriately.
The contextual study I did for Ma Ke is here.
Credits;
`Mistune Mistyle . 
