http://localwisdom.info/feed The Local Wisdom project, exploring resourceful and satisfying ways of using garments. en Thu, 11 Feb 2016 10:56:16 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/131/mea-localis-flora http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/131/mea-localis-flora BA textile design undergraduate studio – 29th April – 11th JuneThe idea of local wisdom will be explored in reference to indigenous plant life and personal place. 2nd year BATD students will visit the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne to learn more about indigenous plants; sketch, draw, record colour, texture and haptic qualities of local plant life. From here they will consider their own place, either their place of birth, their current place of residence, or a place of significance and reference this to develop a series of plant inspired textile outcomes for the body. The studio will incorporate traditional textile design studio practice; painting, drawing, printmaking colour and illustration and workshop practice; translating paper-based concepts into fabric swatches (knit, print, weave) and product for the body. The resultant work will be used to test the local designer maker market scene. The project will be delivered: by Emma Lynas, Esther Paleologos, Lisa Carroll and Rachel Halton Local Wisdom> Thu, 11 Feb 2016 10:56:16 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/130/behind-the-scenes-at-the-san-francisco-photo-shoots http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/130/behind-the-scenes-at-the-san-francisco-photo-shoots Some behind-the-scenes images from last August's LW photo shoot in San Francisco and Marin City... Local Wisdom> Thu, 11 Feb 2016 10:56:15 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/129/knitting-together-open-and-adjust http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/129/knitting-together-open-and-adjust We are living in a ‘disposable fashion’ society where clothing is readily replaced by new items and often discarded; I want to look at how and why hand-knitted garments are valued and what properties they possess that might encourage the wearer to treasure them. There is a sense of tension in knitting; and there is huge potential for change built into the garment. This change develops and is released in different ways over time, depending on the different paths the garment takes in its life cycle. This ingrained potential is extracted when the wearer’s body shape stretches it, when washing habits felt or shrink it, when heavily repeated actions strain it on the elbows, cuffs, underarms, and when mending needs call for re-buttoning, and repairing of tears and moth holes. This can completely change the purpose, shape, fit and aesthetics of the garment over time. I endeavor to look at a garment’s physical properties and beyond this to the wearer’s interaction with the garment; I want to know how this behaviour can encourage and facilitate the need to repair and cherish a hand knitted garment. I aim to discover the hidden understandings behind the restoration techniques in knitting, what the challenges associated with mending a knitted fabric are, how these properties are being used to the wearers advantage and how they enhance their personal knowledge of hand-knitted garments. I am going to experiment with the structure of knitting to develop and prolong a garment’s use by playing on the fabric’s natural characteristics and seeing how this can be utilised when exploring the development of garment construction. Beginning with auditing and analysing my own knitted wardrobe habits, looking at the everyday wear and manipulation of the knitted structure that I would not usually look at, I hope to begin to understand the functions that I love about the pieces and why. One of the most common problems associated with woolen garments are moth holes, the relationship between the wearer and their beloved hand knit can be tested when the dreaded moths invade. Do they invest in their garment and change it aesthetically with a visible mending technique or test their mending skills with an invisible darning method, I am going to begin to look into how people approach mending moth holes and tears and how this 'easy' mend can encourage the wearer to interact with their clothes and change its purpose with traditional techniques that sit in a modern context. There is a sense of tension in knitting, I am beginning to look at hw this is built into the design of a garment, how it is released and changed over time and how this affects the relationship of the wearer with their garment. Local Wisdom> Thu, 11 Feb 2016 10:56:13 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/128/openess http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/128/openess The fashion industry perpetuates a hierarchical system where the only significant role the consumer is given is at the point of purchase. Therefore, the 'use phase' is conventionally not a consideration for the designer. Nevertheless, alternative and resourceful user behaviours have survived and are being practiced (see Local Wisdom stories), helping garments remain relevant to the owner in fit and style over time. The way a garment is constructed or how its seams are finished can invite and allow the owner to manipulate, adjust or add to it. How can a designer encourage this interaction? And which seam signals: 'don't mess with me!'? Anja will systematically investigate and test garment 'treatments' to compile a sample library, which will help designers make these decisions when designing with one foot firmly in the life of the user. Anja Crabb is a 2013 MA Fashion and the Environment graduate at London College of Fashion, which she undertook after working several years in industry as a designer. Local Wisdom> Thu, 11 Feb 2016 10:56:12 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/127/a-stroll-through-the-pockets-of-history http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/127/a-stroll-through-the-pockets-of-history A short stroll through the pockets of history Local Wisdom> Thu, 11 Feb 2016 10:56:11 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/126/not-able-to-make-it-to-the-craft-of-use-event-summary-publication-now-available http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/126/not-able-to-make-it-to-the-craft-of-use-event-summary-publication-now-available In London on 26th March 2014 we held the Craft of Use event celebrating the work and knowledge generated during latest funded phase of the Local Wisdom project. If you missed the event or attended it, our online publication revisits and summarises the day in visuals, text and video. The publication is a precursor to the Craft of Use book that will be published by Routledge in 2015. Local Wisdom> Thu, 19 Jun 2014 08:01:49 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/125/the-craft-of-use-book-and-soundtrack http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/125/the-craft-of-use-book-and-soundtrack The Craft of Use Book includes eighteen images and excerpts of interviews from the Local Wisdom project, in which Kate Fletcher has gathered stories from the public of how they use their garments in resourceful and satisfying ways. The soundtrack has been created by Angus Carlyle using recordings from these interviews which have taken place in 13 different cities worldwide since 2009. The book and soundtrack were recently shown as part of the Craft of Use event on 26 March 2014 at the London College of Fashion. Book Design by June Stockins. With many thanks to Anna Fitzpatrick for assistant wizardry. Local Wisdom> Fri, 06 Jun 2014 09:28:01 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/124/sabrina-mahfouz-closes-the-craft-of-use-event http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/124/sabrina-mahfouz-closes-the-craft-of-use-event Poet Sabrina Mahfouz performed throughout the day out our event in March with work specially written in response to the ideas and practice of craft of use and notions of value, enoughness and fashion engagement. Her short readings quoting the public describing their use of clothing as captured over the last 9 year by the Local Wisdom project punctuated the day. Finally with this poem she closed the event bringing it to a spine-tingling crescendo of feeling and applause. Local Wisdom> Wed, 04 Jun 2014 17:51:57 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/123/creation-through-destruction-film http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/123/creation-through-destruction-film We are pleased to share the design work of Bob Ross, Nicolene McKenzie and Amy Jiang from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Local Wisdom> Mon, 12 May 2014 10:51:10 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/122/film-footage-sabrina-mahfouz-and-kate-fletcher-opening-the-craft-of-use-event http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/122/film-footage-sabrina-mahfouz-and-kate-fletcher-opening-the-craft-of-use-event To see more talks from the Craft of Use event visit the Local Wisdom Vimeo Channel. We'll have it all up this week. Local Wisdom> Mon, 12 May 2014 08:27:16 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/121/local-wisdom-on-the-guardian-online http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/121/local-wisdom-on-the-guardian-online For a feature on the Local Wisdom project and craft of use practices, see Kate's recent piece on the Guardian Online. Local Wisdom> Wed, 07 May 2014 13:03:14 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/120/a-few-images-from-the-day http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/120/a-few-images-from-the-day It was a day of delight and an outpouring of creative energy. The Craft of Use event at London College of Fashion marked the culmination of the latest phase of research on the Local Wisdom project with ground shaking poetry, performance theatre, workshops, presentations, and photography, fueling discussions and setting the course for radical change. Video, podcasts and more image from the day coming soon... All Photography by Ana Escobar Local Wisdom> Fri, 04 Apr 2014 08:25:20 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/119/the-craft-of-use-event http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/119/the-craft-of-use-event The date is almost upon us for our special event of dialogue and practice exploring the 'craft of use' and post growth fashion. This event is fully booked but you can visit the eventbrite page to add your name to the waiting list or follow us on Twitter and Facebook where we will be releasing podcasts and content from the day. Speakers, Performers and Provocateurs to include: Kate Fletcher, Reader in Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion Jonathon Porritt, Founder Director, Forum for the Future Avner Offer, Chichele Professor of Economic History, University of Oxford Frances Corner, Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of the Arts London Deljana Iossifova, Lecturer in Architecture, University of Manchester Sabrina Mahfouz, Poet-in-Residence, Cape Farewell Dilys Williams, Director of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, University of the Arts London Zakee Shariff, Artist and Designer Performance curated by Mari Krappala, docent of cultural studies in the Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Helsinki with performers, Heino Aho, Leena Kela and Sebastian Ziegler. And Contributions from International Network Partners: Lynda Grose, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, USA Hélène Day Fraser, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Vancouver, Canada Vibeke Riisberg, Kolding Design School, Kolding, Denmark Holly McQuillan and Jen Whitty, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand Timo Rissanen, Parsons The New School for Design, New York City, USA Jo Cramer, RMIT, Melbourne, Australia Event Details Wednesday 26th March 2014, 9:15am - 5pm London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London 20 John Princes Street London W1G 0BJ This event marks the culmination of the latest phase of research and design activity of the Local Wisdom project originated and led by Kate Fletcher from the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion, involving a network of seven international partners and funded by The Leverhulme Trust. This event is part of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion's 5 year celebration. There is no charge for this event. Photography by Kerry Dean Local Wisdom> Sat, 01 Mar 2014 10:47:56 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/118/portraits-and-stories-from-melbourne-now-up http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/118/portraits-and-stories-from-melbourne-now-up We are happy to share stories and portraits gathered during the recent photoshoot in Australia at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Full stories and portraits from Melbourne here. Thank you so much to our photographer, Paul Allister for capturing these stunning images and to Jo Cramer at RMIT for organising such a brilliant day. Some quotes from the day: "I brought a top made out of two shirts, two men’s shirts. I have cut it up and made it into a new ladies’ top, so half it is silk and half of it is polyester. You can totally unbutton the two halves from each other. So it means that you can wash [the two halves] separately, but it actually means that one side crinkles much more than the other, so I only have to iron half of that (laughs). (…) You [can wear it without the second half], you can actually unbutton it off and put that over your head and wear it as a halter-top." - from "Multiple functions take time" "I brought a maxi-skirt. I won it in a competition online and ever since I’ve got it I wear it so much… as a dress as well, sometimes I wear a top over the dress, so it looks like a shorter skirt. This is stretchy, so my friends can wear it… really just perfect garment (laughs)." - from "Maxi-use" "I am wearing a sleeveless shirt, like a tank, that's my boyfriend’s. (…) He does have a good wardrobe (laughs), but I do tend to steal bits of pieces from his wardrobe. I kind of take something, then bring it back, then take something again, then bring it back. (…) - from "He does have a good wardrobe" "This is a kimono, that I bought from a Japanese furniture store and they’ve got a little fabric and kimono section at the back. …[With a kimono] the choice of lining is always an extra wow factor. And the sleeves always hang so low [you have to do things differently]… I take it off to eat." - from "Kimono behaviour" Local Wisdom> Tue, 14 May 2013 12:46:06 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/117/portraits-and-stories-from-new-zealand-are-now-up http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/117/portraits-and-stories-from-new-zealand-are-now-up Stories and images are now up online from our recent photoshoot in New Zealand organised by the Massey University team. Here are some excerpts from stories of garment use collected on the day: "This is an old second-hand shirt, that I bought many years ago and I changed it. And then I added lots of buttons, it is not one buttonhole but lots of them but I don’t use them all. They all do function, but (…) I didn’t like the buttons that were on it originally so I thought ‘I’ll just take these buttons off because I don’t like those buttons anyway.’ And then I thought ‘Um, It still missing something, it still missing something fruity’, and so I wanted a ’fruited outfit’, you know make it little bit more luscious. Because it is quite ‘gardeny’, “herbaceous border” you know something about going out into the garden, I needed to add more of something... " - From Herbaceous border shirt "This is a blazer that I got when my twin-sister and I were travelling through southeast Asia on our first travels together, our first trip overseas alone. And there was a place there that you can go and get anything made. I’ve always quite liked the shapes of blazers but there they have such outrageous fabrics! And I really liked the magical dragon fabric that I found, actually we both really liked it. So I got this made, and we’ve actually ended up sharing it… it’s probably… [passed between us] seven or eight times]. She is almost as tall as me… it is like the twin-blazer. And it’s also just the most ridiculous party blazer as well (laughs). As soon as you put on, it just sets the tone for the whole evening…" from the Twin-blazer "I got this in India - I was in India for three months - and I was trying to find a really good value pashmina when I was there. So during my search I found this. They were calling it pashmina but it is not made using the wool that’s normally used. It was made using yak wool, so I call it my ‘yakmina’. (laughs). (…) I laboured [over what to take with me when I went travelling], and was so upset about a few things that I had to leave at home, you know, my favourite pair of shoes… And now, a few months later, I’ve moved on and I forgot I ever had these things and I don’t even really know what I left home… I’ve now purchased a few small affordable items…" - from Yakmina "These pants were given to me by my mother… I liked the colour and comfort of them. (…) I used to just use [comfortable clothing like these] round the home, because I was too aware in public spaces of, I guess, of trends, of what was in fashion. But now I use them when I feel like being quite comfortable, I guess." - from Comfort dressing Full stories and portraits from Wellington here. A special thanks to our photographer Aliscia Young for capturing that New Zealand light so beautifully and to Holly McQuillan and Jen Whitty at Massey for everything! Local Wisdom> Thu, 09 May 2013 14:29:18 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/116/thank-you-wellington-melbourne http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/116/thank-you-wellington-melbourne Back in the UK after a brief but inspiring trip to the Antipodes. A huge thank you to all of those who participated in the Local Wisdom photoshoots in Wellington and Melbourne and to those who put so much effort into the setting up and running the linked events in both places. The team from Massey in Wellington led by Holly McQuillan and Jen Whitty organised public workshops in felting and zero waste pattern cutting and a public discussion about the Craft of Use. And RMIT in Melbourne, courtesy of the expert organisation of Jo Cramer set up a student knowledge cafe and an 'In Conversation With Kate Fletcher' as part of the Melbourne Fashion Week. The stories and images gathered from the community photoshoots from both locations will be on line here in the next month and the design projects in both place have started in earnest. Local Wisdom> Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:34:56 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/115/melbourne-local-wisdom http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/115/melbourne-local-wisdom The Local Wisdom project will be in Melbourne, Australia this Saturday, 23 March 2013 to gather more tales and images of the creative and ingenious practices associated with using garments. This will be the final shoot of a year of touring that has included Kolding, San Francisco, London, Vancouver, New York City and Wellington, New Zealand. Come and share you insights with us! We’ll be at the Melbourne GPO350 Bourke Street11am until 4pm.What should you bring to be photographed? Perhaps you have a garment that is…• Is easily repairable• Is worn regularly and has never been washed (and isn’t leather!)• Is enjoying a third, fourth or fifth life• Surprises you each time you wear it• Shows or tells the story of how it’s been used• Is worn in ways that defy the producer’s values• Is adapted over and again in order to meet changing needs• Has interchangeable parts that can be worn in different ways• Is shared between people • Connects you to others• Is worn in response to changing economic and environmental concerns• Is made up of interchangeable pieces that can be worn in different waysImages from the recent photoshoot in Vancouver...Questions? Email more@localwisdom.info Local Wisdom> Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:28:45 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/114/new-zealand-local-wisdom-photoshoot-in-wellington http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/114/new-zealand-local-wisdom-photoshoot-in-wellington Announcing the next Local Wisdom community photoshoot! On Saturday 16th March from 10-4pm, we will be in Wellington, New Zealand in collaboration with Massey University to capture the craft of use through a combination of images and stories. Come and share your tales of garment use! Te Ara Hihiko, Level D, Block 12Massey UniversityCollege of Creative ArtsWellington (Entrance C off Wallace Street)What should you bring to be photographed? Perhaps you have a garment that is…• Is easily repairable• Is worn regularly and has never been washed (and isn’t leather!)• Is enjoying a third, fourth or fifth life• Surprises you each time you wear it• Shows or tells the story of how it’s been used• Is worn in ways that defy the producer’s values• Is adapted over and again in order to meet changing needs• Has interchangeable parts that can be worn in different ways• Is shared between people • Connects you to others• Is worn in response to changing economic and environmental concerns• Is made up of interchangeable pieces that can be worn in different waysImages from the recent photoshoot in New York...Questions? Email more@localwisdom.info Local Wisdom> Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:56:44 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/113/local-wisdom-canada-style http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/113/local-wisdom-canada-style We are happy to announce that portraits and stories from Vancouver are now online! This January, the Local Wisdom team decamped to British Columbia to gather stories of garment use on Granville Island, hosted by the very inspiring staff and students of Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Behind the scenes, industrial design and communication students lent enthusiasm and intellectual curiousity to the day as we braved the cold to uncover stories of resourcefulness and satisfaction.Highlights of the day included an outdoor jacket that had served generations of adventurous Nords, a blazer demanding another level of responsibility and a coat transforming cashmere into a utility fabric. Given the temperatures it's not surprising that the beneficial qualities of coats and jackets were very close to participants' hearts.Thank you so much to all who helped out and to those who shared garment uses with us. There isn't room here for all the portraits or any of the stories but you can see them all in full here!And an especially big thank you to our photographer, Jeremy Calhoun - for a LONG and devoted day of photography in sub zero temperatures and for sending image after image to satisfy our picky London office! Local Wisdom> Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:14:34 +0000 http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/111/portraits-and-stories-from-new-york-are-now-up http://localwisdom.info/blog/post/111/portraits-and-stories-from-new-york-are-now-up We are so pleased to share some of the portraits and stories of garment use that were gathered in New York this January. Local Wisdom was hosted in the sunny gallery space at Parsons The New School for Design, just off of 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Over the course of thirty plus interviews, we heard unique examples of how garments can be lived as a rich and resourceful process, ranging from a coat made out of quilts to outfits made in back allies to stories of individuals who seemingly will find inventive uses for absolutely everything in their life. Thank you to everyone who helped and participated in the project. You've helped us to trace the patterns of how visions, ideas, habits, skills and stories are being employed. And in doing so, helped in our aim to unearth ways in which we can design and produce clothing that encourages these processes, these actions that make up the ‘craft of use’. Your portraits and stories are now on online!A few excerpts from the day:"Then he took off his shirt and he gave it to me. And then I said, ‘can I give you money for it?’ but he said, ‘No, no, it’s fine’. And then I said ‘I want to give you some money for it’, because I could also see he was not a wealthy person.""I go into prisons and teach basic computing skills. However I learned quickly that you have to create sort of a personality [through your dress] that’s authoritative… It was also important when I was putting different ensembles together, that I try to be as low metal as possible, or if the metal exists, pure metal, because it makes a lot less cumbersome when I am going through the metal detectors." "at one point I found just pointless to always to sort my socks. So what I decided was to ask my mother to give me for Christmas thirty pairs of the same socks. Then I threw away all of the others I had, and now I have thirty pairs of the same black boring socks. But no worry anymore to sort the socks and find the pairs in the morning or after washing or whatever. I really like that concept. Mimise effort…""One day when I first moved to New York and I was having a really hard day in New York, I put on the pink dress and I went to the Met and I took myself on a date to the Met wearing this pink dress and a pair of high heels and it made life a little bit better and the New York adjustment. They’ve been a special part of my life since…" "So, I have this amazing two-piece garment that I found at a thrift store. It was in dead-stock condition and it had no labels on it. So I had no idea what time period it came from or where it was from. But I really appreciated the construction of it… both pieces are worn like an apron so you can wear them over other pieces… together or separately… [one piece] has this big hood on it. They’re this heavy [fabric], a brushed cotton twill… it’s all about the… the durability of it and its versatility…" "I bought this leather bag when I finished my military service. So, as a South Korean, every man [has to] go to military service and we get paid a very small [salary], monthly. It is like, compared to normal job, it is basically nothing. For two years I kept all my money; normally people spend their money for, you know, buy some snacks, cigarettes and drinks; but I bought that bag. One bag. But that was kind of expensive, but, you know, a compensation." Local Wisdom> Fri, 22 Feb 2013 22:31:56 +0000