{dying to be different 2} here comes the sun

Two refashions

1. Hand dyed silk cotton top

2. Cut off jeans

Amaze balls! Even the buttons turned yellow

Thanks to iDye and iDye poly

Guessing competition: which is whiter, the cat or my legs?

...ready for summer

{sustainable design 3} refashion

Source www.m-c-q.com Fall 2010 lookbook

Refashioning is the reshaping of a 'used' clothing garment to extend its life and includes transforming its style. It can be subtle or dramatic. Unlike upcycling, which will be profiled in a separate instalment of this series, the starting point and ending point are both clothing.

The commercialisation of fashion has led to fast fashion and the planned obsolescence of styles before the garment has even worn out. It places fashion at odds with the very notion of sustainability. Never fear! Refashion is here. It can turn last season's shirt into this season's skirt!

Cottage-scale

You are only ever a couple of clicks away from a refashion co-op or group. Refashioning is perfect for the production of one-offs. Just check out Katwise on etsy to buy some, the refashion co-op to share your own projects and my own little refashion right here.

Large-scale

The use of refashioning as a basis for larger scale sustainable design poses some planning and supply challenges. How can you base a business around refashioning if the 'refashion' is bespoke and depends upon the quality, type and availability of the second hand clothing? Kim Fraser stared down this issue and discovered men's trousers were available in large enough quantities with a relatively standard shape and construction to support a form of mass refashioning... into ladies dresses! This resulted in the T-series of dresses. That capitalised on repeatability and productisation.

source: http://aut.academia.edu/KimFraser/Papers/424669/ReDress-ReFashion_As_a_Solution_for_Clothing_Un_Sustainability

Refashioning en masse is possible. And I'll hold the candle for the postive impact of the online sewing communities on mass one-off refashioning. Do you find it easy or hard to throw out clothing? Have you thought of refashioning?

And here's some more from McQ's Fall 2010...  for parting refashion inspiration.

{Project Runway Australia Sew-a-long} glamourous thrifting

OK - running 60mins late... but here it is. On brief - made in under 8 hours. Voila

A modern day look for the glamorous girl around town. Made out of second hand clothes. Selected by someone else!

A tunic and skirt - makes for three different looks in one !!

1. Belted

2. Free (also great over leggings)

3. Tucked in

This third challenge of Project Runway Australia was hard. A refashion on its own is reasonable enough. Turning jeans or a shirt into a skirt is achievable. The hard part of this challenge was the "glamorous" brief. At best, second hand clothes are practical. At worst, unwearable. Seldom are they made of beautiful fabrics with which to create glamour.

This lined tunic top and skirt were each in their former lives a part of two terribly 80s/90s dresses. One encrusted with diamontes, the other emblazened with cheap gold buttons and admiral style pockets. urgh...

BEFORE - I achieved the challenge's twist by having someone else select the clothes for me

DURING - a little help from Dr. Livingstone. Not my cat, he just happens to call Livingstone House his home.

{Project Runway Australia Sew-a-long} Challenge 3

 Follow a-long with Project Runway Australia. Do each week's challenge before the next week's episode. Grab the badge and join in!

The Challenge

Create a chic, expensive day look for the modern girl around town.
From
A truckload of second hand clothes, with three minutes to fill three bags full.

In

8-hours

The Twist?

Hand the bags of clothes you selected to the designer on the left.

Is there is a thrift store near you? Easy!
And how to simulate the twist? Ask the shop assistant to fill a bag for you? Or,  maybe fill one blindfolded!

I am excited by this sustainable design related challenge!