For this week’s portion of upcycling, I got very inspired by the level of detail I saw in different designers’ styles while reading ‘Upfashioned’. I wanted to play on the idea of using trash to create more than a garment, but a piece of art, so I began experimenting with embroidering my hand-spun wool and adding embellishments that give it that extra touch to bring it up to that level. In all honesty, it was a bit of a diversion from my original purpose of exploring how to create beautiful items that have little environmental footprint and are accessible to all socioeconomic backgrounds. The amount of time that the hand-spinning and hand embroidering takes is certainly what elevates the garment from a garment to a ‘luxury item,’ but I think having a business model that is capable of providing both is definitely something to consider.
I used the wool that I spun in class at Arbutus Folk School last quarter, it still holds to the ‘upcycling’ mission as it is a blend I created of all of the excess wool from other students. I also decided that I’d like to add pearls to the garment since I believe slight detailing like that will bring out the intricacy of the back and creates a just slightly more formal look. I found a fake pearl necklace at the thrift store for 50 cents and dismantled it to use the beads.
I’m finding that I do have a little bit of extra textile and extra detailing material, but I am planning to use every bit of material that I gather over the next 10 weeks, so I have already begun designing small coin purses and jewelry to make out of the extra bits. As I’ve read more as well as gained hands on experience in mass produced clothing design and how it contrasts to small designers, I’m finding that there is an opportunity for much less waste to occur on a small scale.