Transfer of Ownership
Giving a garment to someone else is sometimes a straightforward and
spontaneous act. At other times a transfer of ownership is more
circuitous. Periods of overlapping ownership often intensify resource
use and stud a garment’s story with memories.
Hand-me-down
"This is a jacket my mum bought when she was twenty in South London, from a charity shop. She gave it to me when was I was about seventeen, eighteen. I used to wear it clubbing, just with a Wonder bra underneath. I grew out of that and passed the jacket on to my middle sister. She then wore the jacket out quite a lot as well but her breasts were a lot bigger than mine and she popped off the button. And so, we’ve had to move the buttons down. I then reclaimed the jacket as it didn’t fit her and I’ve had it in my wardrobe since. I don’t wear it as much coz I tried to wash it and all the dye sort of leaked out and it’s gone a reddy-brown colour but I have since made a pattern from the jacket for my littlest sister, Emma, who’s fifteen and given it to her as part of a suit that I’ve made her…"
London - January 2010
Photograph by
Sean Michael
