Last week I officially finished my first upcycled piece: the silk tweed vest!
The final product looked like this:
Overall, the total cost of the materials used to create this was $6.50 and it took me 13 hours including the hand-spun and sewn embroidery and 6.5 hours without. I did not use a sewing machine for this project because I wanted to have total control over what I was doing given the fact that it is a piece intended for learning rather than efficiency. However, if I were to recreate this design with the intent of selling, I estimate that it would take me 2.5 hours without the embroidery and 5 with the embroidery after having more practice with the skill.
I’m currently inspired by the idea of continuing to make my designs echo that of Edwardian women’s clothes. I have a collection of Edwardian clothing at home since they are the last of fashion to be truly handmade and “slow” in the way that the fashion world describes it now. Because of that, it seems fitting to honor that nearly lost craft by reclaiming mass-produced pieces and turning them into garments as unique as those from the past. While photographing, I played around with styling the piece into an outfit featuring an Edwardian blouse and linen skirt that I discovered at an antique mall in Pennsylvania, and I love the feel that they give my own original piece. I plan to take better quality pictures once I can get my hands on a tripod, but here are some basic concept photos:
Part of my reasoning behind creating this piece was to get an idea of how possible it is to create a quality piece of clothing at a relatively affordable price while still allowing for a living wage to be paid. Currently, in Thurston County, the living wage is calculated to be at $11.84 for one adult. If an artist were to create a similar piece with the intent of selling without the embroidery in the design and used a sewing machine, they could sell the piece for $40 and take in a wage of $13.40/hr. For “luxury markets” with the embroidery included, they could charge $75 and receive a wage of $13.90/hr.
I did some research into the pricing of decorative vests from 4 different clothing companies that represent different socioeconomic classes: Forever 21 (low income), Urban Outfitters (middle class), Free People (upper middle class), and Magnolia Pearl (upper class). The prices on their products are as follows:
Interestingly enough, the price of my design was closest to the price of the company frequented by customers with lower incomes, but the quality and design itself was more like the company frequented by higher incomes. To me, this hints that the consumer has been trained by the both fast fashion and the luxury market to automatically assume a high quality and unique “different-from-the-norm” piece is reserved for people who can afford to spend $250 on a vest. This could pose a problem when it comes to outreach for designers wishing to reach all income levels with their pieces. However, I believe if there were ever a time to communicate to people that they do not need to have endless disposable income in order to express themselves with one of a kind pieces, it would be now. The current attitude towards self-expression, sustainability, and re-using materials is at an all time high. So, I think that the market is primed for making a business like this a feasible feat.