An international fashion research project exploring the 'craft of use'

Intensive Use

Some garments are worn almost daily. They become both a backdrop to - and practical facilitator of - our lives and reflect true resourcefulness. Their features speak of an ethic of extended iterative use.

Constant in my life

"In this garment I decided to try to design something that would be a work smock, something that I would wear everyday in my studio and the idea is that it could be something that could be worn in a number of occasions and situations, but becomes a constant in my life. [I made them for other people too] I’ve noticed that my friends all have different ways to wear it…it’s been really nice to see that it adapts in different ways to people’s needs.

It has pockets, which is really fundamental to me, so on a day like today, it’s my jacket. So I found that it has become a really versatile kind of work wardrobe for me. It has a panel that it’s just a twisted pattern piece. And because it doesn’t have shoulders, it does adapts easily to people shoulders’ shape…. not having a shoulder seam helps the fit… And I’ve certainly have worn it a lot… it’s a really hard wearing gabardine, it’s sort of a really comfortable drapey fabric, but it also has a toughness to it, or a weight."


Melbourne - March 2013
Photograph by Paul Allister