A written study and 15 garments made from natural hand-dyed and hand-printed textiles.
The contradiction, of how marks of wearing can act as a symbol of a long-lasting relationship between the user and the garment or how they can be the reason for disposing of clothing, was the starting point of the work.
In the written part, signs of use and meanings connected to them were examined for understanding why wearing is rejected in our culture. Fieldwork at sorting discarded textiles visualizes the amount and quality of discarded clothes in Finland today, illustrating how fast fashion has affected the habits of consumption and use. A historical point of view to aged clothing, by exploring Japanese boro textiles and mending practices in Finland in the 20th century, demonstrated how valuation of clothes before the modern fashion industry was a necessity.
Imperfection and hand making were given as standpoints to longevity and proposed they could help disturbing the notion of the optimal state and create meaning and value contributing to long-lasting use. Workwear and nightwear references were combined with these findings in designing a collection of garments in the artistic production part.
Editorial photography: Nita Vera