object eye
Making a Zero-Waste Three Piece Suit—Part 2.
Tuesday March 12 2013
Yesterday, Object Eye posted a Q&A with Sally Colebatch, who recently created a zero-waste three piece suit based on an original open source design by Jennifer Whitty (see Part 1 here.) Today, Jennifer Whitty discusses zero-waste design, and the process of watching her design come to life from across the Tasman Sea.
What drove you to originally create this garment, and what was your reasoning behind making it an open-source pattern, freely available to anyone?
I feel we are on the threshold of a new era for fashion design as Web 2.0 has opened up a rediscovery of natural, human, social modes of creative endeavors that have been somewhat marginalised in an era of passive consumption. I have always been fascinated with the notion of an evolving garment, that morphs and changes with the wearer/maker to extend its lifespan and create new engagement/interaction with the wearer/maker. (Continued after the jump.)
Making a Zero-Waste Three Piece Suit—Part 1.
Monday March 11 2013
Last year, when I was in Wellington for the fab8nz conference (which you can read about in Object magazine 63), I saw and fell in love with a three piece suit designed with zero-waste principles by Jennifer Whitty, which she had made available as an open-source design. With no real sewing skills of my own, my mother, Sally Colebatch, volunteered to make it with me. About six weeks ago we began the process, with a little under two weeks to get it ready for a wedding in February—and it was quite the experience.
Today, Sally answers some questions on the process of making this suit, something that was quite a new experience for her, and tomorrow Jennifer talks about the creation of the design and what it was like watching it come to life across the Tasman Sea.
Object magazine 62 — Wear It Well
Thursday April 26 2012
Wear It Well is an essay by Marie O’Mahony on the value of fit within the sustainable fashion conversation. It is the first essay in a planned series within Object magazine, providing a more in-depth look into a topic authored by some of the leading thinkers of today.
How do we decide if a garment is sustainable or not? Natural or synthetic materials are one starting point. But we must also look at whether more than one type of material is used, whether the garment has lots of zips, buttons and how difficult these may make it to recycle.
Laundry use is another factor. A garment may be produced in a very environmentally friendly way but its laundry and care requirements may make it less sustainable over its lifespan.
Object magazine issue 62
Friday April 13 2012
Many will have noticed the tweets and Facebook updates over the last couple of weeks announcing the incremental launch of Object magazine across all platforms. After racing through the approval process to land in the App Store, Object magazine issue 62 went live in Google Play for Android tablets and appeared on the Object website for viewing through your desktop browser earlier this week.
20 years after debuting as a printed magazine, issue 62, available exclusively digitally, delves into the studios of designers around the country. With a broad take on what a ‘studio’ may be, this issue looks at everything from jewellery design to think tanks, from architecture to graphic design, and from fashion to industrial design.
Alongside these studios is an extensive exploration of sustainable fashion from academic Marie O’Mahony, who recently relocated from Sydney to Toronto. Wear It Well examines the role of fit in sustainable fashion, looking at innovative modes of garment construction helping to reduce waste in the fashion industry.
A non-exhaustive guide to eco-fashion
Tuesday February 28 2012
Hello, and I hope not goodbye, though this will be my final post in the EVERGREEN: fresh sustainable fashion series (click here to catch up on all entries.)
This series is by no means an exhaustive guide to sustainable fashion, but I hope that we have sparked or fuelled your interest – it has certainly kick-started my own. The following links will take you to books, blogs & organisations that I stumbled across, was educated by, or simply loved. I hope they will continue to inform and inspire you long after the exhibition ends.
EVERGREEN: fresh sustainable fashion is showing at Object Gallery until 24 March 2012 alongside Stories in Form. We’d love you to check it out, talk about it and bring your friends for a coffee and a wander!
Best,
Kathryn
EVERGREEN — Julia Knüpfer
Monday February 20 2012
Welcome to the final instalment of the interview series with designers featured in EVERGREEN: fresh sustainable fashion, in the Project Space at Object Gallery until 24 March, 2012. Read the interview with Holly McQuillan by clicking here and with Georgia McCorkill by clicking here. To find out more about the exhibition, head to our Exhibitions & Events page here, or to continue reading about sustainable fashion, keep reading Object Eye here.
“Working sustainably is the necessary direction for the future… In the design phase we define 90 percent of the environmental profile of a product.”
Julia Knüpfer is a Berlin-based fashion designer, a graduate of Esmod Berlin and winner of the Designer for Tomorrow award at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Berlin. Her label icawatermelon combines sustainability with high fashion, using organic cotton and wool sourced from biologically controlled animal welfare.
EVERGREEN — Georgia McCorkill
Friday February 17 2012
Welcome to the second of three interviews with the designers featured in our Project Space exhibition EVERGREEN: fresh sustainable fashion. To catch up on the series and to find out more about sustainable fashion, click here, and for more information on the exhibition click here.
“I love observing the social interactions that occur around fashion… the enchantment that dresses hold is very powerful.”
Georgia McCorkill is a PhD candidate within the School of Architecture and Design at RMIT University. She designs special occasion dresses whose physical durability matches their fleeting requirements for use. The Red Carpet Project is a design driven collaboration between designers, celebrities, stylists and publicists, using the red carpet as a forum to raise awareness of environmental problems faced by the fashion industry. McCorkill uses natural eucalyptus plant dyes and up-cycled fabric remnants to achieve stunning environmentally conscious gowns.
EVERGREEN — Holly McQuillan
Monday February 13 2012
Welcome to the first of three interviews conducted with the designers featured in our current Project Space exhibition EVERGREEN: fresh sustainable fashion. For the first entry, we talk to New Zealand designer Holly McQuillan.
“There are so many preconceptions about sustainable fashion… probably the biggest preconception is that there is one ‘right’ way to do it.”
Holly McQuillan is a lecturer in Fashion Design at Massey University’s College of Creative Arts in Wellington. Her research focuses on sustainable design practice by exploring the possibilities of zero-waste pattern cutting - a philosophy which challenges existing techniques and eliminates wastage. Her considered design approach results in garments that are timeless and adaptable, sustaining value over many years.
My Room Sheet Grows Me Tea?
Friday February 03 2012
SEE the exhibition.
PLANT your room sheet.
WATCH it flower.
DRINK the Chamomile tea it produces.
WIN a Peppermint Magazine subscription.
A major focus of sustainable fashion and a significant theme in EVERGREEN is the concept of life-cycle; where an object begins, where it will end up, and whether it will continue to serve a purpose or retain value.
In producing an exhibition about eco-fashion, it was vital to consider sustainability in all aspects of the production, communication and display. From recycled paper wall panels to natural branch displays sculpted by our neighbouring florist and carried by foot to the gallery, we have enjoyed making eco conscious selections.
Sustainable Fashion — it might be simpler than you think.
Tuesday January 31 2012
I consider myself to be an eco conscious person, not an eco “expert” - willing to adopt more sustainable habits, but often wondering where to begin.
When it comes to fashion, I confess I am reluctant to limit my enjoyment or to radically change my style. However I was excited to discover a number of talented eco-designers, as well as various ways to support sustainable fashion that do not require shopping at a certain store, or not shopping at all. From fabric choices to washing and care, there are many simple choices that make a substantial difference over the life cycle of a garment.
Embracing a new approach to fashion became more attainable when I realised that I was already making a number of sustainable choices as a matter of preference.
Visiting Object
St. Margarets, 417 Bourke St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Gallery:
11am to 5pm
Wednesday to Saturday
Object Ground Floor:
11am to 5pm
Wednesday to Saturday
+61 2 9361 4511
object@object.com.au
