Material resourcefulness
Garments are fusions of materials and energy brought to the body in myriad configurations, yet the dominant force in fashion, consumerism, tends to value only a narrow spectrum of fashion activity. The practices of material resourcefulness broaden this view and show a burgeoning testing ground of an alternative flows of fibre, fabric and product.
Step-in dress
"I’m wearing a local designer’s - I guess it’s a one of a kind - dress. She makes everything to order and it’s made out of a 1950’s floral print tablecloth. I believe it’s bark cloth and I actually saw it in a fashion show I was in and I wanted to wear it so bad but unfortunately it didn’t fit me and so I emailed her… after that we became really good friends. She calls me her brand ambassador. I go to estate sales and I find just old table cloths and crocheted runners which she uses a lot of too. I’ve been collecting vintage textiles for a long time so that’s kind of what gravitated me towards this …I hardly wear it because it’s very colourful and I’m from New York and used to wearing black a lot but I do love floral prints and it fits me like a glove. And you step into it, she calls them step-in dresses and it just zips up and you’re ready to go."
San Francisco - July 2012
Photograph by
Paige Green