Te Warewhare Whakapau 2013

Te Warewhare Whakapau is a call for more transparency in the fashion industry. The New Zealand Fashion system can be more innovative to create jobs in New Zealand's manufacturing sector.

Te - The

Warewhare - colloquialism for warehouse.

Whakapau -  consume, to use up.

We buy more than we need because we want to make ourselves feel good, because the media has made us feel as though this is the only way to achieve this. We buy mass produced, cheap, bad quality garments in bulk to get that 'oh yeah i'm amazing' feeling. Do you even know where that garment came from? where was it manufactured? was someone paid a fair wage to produce this garment? did anyone die in the process - Bangladesh and many others before it!!!!

These are questions I can answer when people purchase from me. Because I collect and produce locally, you know your money is being spent on a quality garment that has values and morals behind it. I am the one who sews that garment and if it isn't me, that person has been paid a fair wage or fair manufacturing process costs.

My garments aim to minimise the environmental impact from disposable consumer items. By collecting from recycle centres and commercial off cuts from local producers, previously discarded items become precious garments that live more than one lifetime.

The garments I create are not only beautiful, but they up cycle fabric or clothing that would otherwise be landfill. The recurring heart symbol has been used on FOUND items and weaves the life blood of tradition and value back into a precious entity.

By utilising Zero Waste principals, I hope to teach consumers to think of clothing as an asset. I have a vision of consumers wearing a sustainable wardrobe.

Global problem, Local solution.

Come and see me at NZ Eco Fashion Exposed this Saturday 21st Sept @ The Notre Dame des Missions Performing Arts Centre at  Sacred  Heart College, Laings  Rd,  Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand   

Ticketing information available on the website   NZ Eco Fashion Exposed 



Also NEXT week stay tuned for some information on SWISH IN THE CITY - DUNEDIN OCT 5th  a clothes swapping event, that can enhance your wardrobe on the cheap!!!!! 

I will be bringing Te Warewhare Whakapau for people to view and converse over!!!!

i may have 2 passes to give away so start thinking of your best garment in the closet story and why it's still there, you didn't throw it out because? give me a memory.............. please note the winners story may be shared on my blog/facebook page......

Stay AweSUMO.

Fi




 

Chimerical Conundra - The Graduate Collection 2011

Chimerical Conundra means a wildly fanciful puzzle, the process of making has been like unravelling a knotted thread. This collection was made utilising the negative spaces created from commercial pattern cutting. Pieced by pieced together to create simple workable shapes. I designed this collection to challenge the current fashion system and to educate consumers and designers about the wastefulness of this system. The way forward is to consume less for longer, to buy quality clothes that become precious items and to transcend trends towards more sustainable wardrobe choices.

“ Creative pattern cutting is not all about mathematics and measurement... it is about space and body, balance and movement.” (Julian Roberts)

This collection was made under the umbrella of RISK design, It’s ultimate goal is to educate alongside a sharing and knowledgeable community of design practitioners this can create change. Sustainability and ethical choices are the basis for these products. It is integral to the environmental choices we make in all aspects of our lives. Designers leading the way by teaching consumers about ethical practice and the choices therein. A long term solution in revolutionising the fashion system.

Fabrics used in this collection are Silk, 100% Lycra, and Wool sourced from New Zealand and Australia. The fabric was sourced from two local businesses Adventure Outfitters and St Clair Designs, thus it has previously been through the commercial pattern cutting process. I utilised the offcuts by building larger geometric shapes, incorporating neck and armholes into seams and an integrated system for tying. Inspired to return to a more traditional way of dress. The outer garments are One Size Fits Most and are transformable to be made the wearers own.

Peace.

Knitted Dinosaur Hood - Full Colour

Knitted Dino Hood

Reversible Rectangle Top 100% Silk, Lycra Onesie

Starfish Garment 100% Silk, Lycra Bodysuit, Knitted Dino Hood.

100% silk top, Lycra Onesie

100% Silk Dress, Lycra Bodysuit.

100% Silk Top, Full Circle Skirt, Lycra Onesie, Knitted Dino Scarf

THANK YOU: Adventure Outfitters & St Clair Designs for their contribution of fabrics. Glenys Clements, Christine Hardisty & Colleen Kelly for their knitting skills.

 IMAGES: BODY: Georgie D - Ali McD Agency, FACE: Leila George, PIX: Teryn Harris.

competitions ahoy!!!!

so i'm very excited to share that i have been shortlisted for the Miromoda competition here in New Zealand, which is amazing because the more people that see and experience my work and hear my philosophy, is just more, more people who i can hopefully start a thought or an idea about why, where, what you are purchasing. 

anyway i'm not gonna rant right now, cos i need to go to work, but YAY!!!!!

www.miromoda.co.nz


choice

experiment 10 + experiment 5 = awesum!!!!!!!

starfish pants!!!

Experiment 5 cut and pasted into starfish shaped pant/cape/woteva!!!!(experiment 10) wear it your own way type garment!!! I am working with a tie system so it can be worn gathered or not as well. It is a One Size Fits Most garment!!!! I am definitely beginning to see my garments in a contemporary dance situation. That would be awesum to see!!!
Although their down fall is that it takes time to lace the ties through the outer leg seams, and waist/wherever. But this gives the wearer the chance to know the garment and wear it in their own way, thus creating a relationship. excellent!!! Also made from rubbish!!!!!!
                                                                                                                                         

one hour zerowaste t-shirt !!!

zerowaste t-shirt 1

zerowaste t-shirt 2

dynamics of a simple zerowaste t-shirt

me n my new t-shirt

zerowaste t-shirt made in an hour, very simple idea, take a rectangle fold it in half sew some shoulders, side seams and a tunnel at the bottom for a tie, which had been cut off the fabric earlier to bring it down to the right size. Then hem the left over holes as arm and neck holes. I made the blue one ages ago and its one of my favourite shirts. It has small gathers in one side seam and both shoulder seams. It is cotton so is excellent in summer, the orange one however is some retro polyester and it doesn't wear well in hot weather or dancing extreme times. must remember that!!!!

cut + paste!!!!

the luxury of cut and paste. such a great way to transmogrophy some type of garment, experiment 2 has been changed and cut and sewn and cut and pasted back into so many options. it has evolved and changed my thinking, let me see the colours together and experiment with sewing techniques. it has been an integral part in my process of design and thought. to be able to cut shape and paste into onto within without through over under around anywhere, to shape and change to experiment and work in a 3D world. a working garment!!! a transmogrophier of body, shape, cut + paste!!

experiment 2 front

experiment 2.1 front

experiment 2.2 front

experiment 2.2.1 front

experiment 2.2.1 back

 

experiment 6 - exciting places!!!

working flat to start.

back

front

working towards making a one size fits all garment I started off by working flat to make a base to grow off, over time i've realised that needing a stable base to work from is the key, so for this garment I decided to start by working flat and getting some more defined direction into the garment by creating a shape by adjoining 2 of the same pieces but leaving a hole in the middle for the neck, as this is a draped garment and does not need to be fitted it was alot easier to work, once the flat sections were sewn together I then draped it over the mannequin and played around with making arm holes and a waist closure. originally intending to make this into a dress I actually stopped here and decided it would be more appropriate as a top and very simply closed the seams to create sleeves/armholes and added a tie to the front bottom which then can be tied up at different lengths, this then corresponds to my thinking in making a garment that would fit more than one size.   

this garment changed my direction into a much more exciting and happier one, I am now looking forward to the end of this challenge as I can see things growing from this point into something much simpler and more amazing than I had envisioned at the start.

experiment 5 - onesie

front of onesie

back of onesie

ah the onesie, such an awesum piece of clothing, basically just draped piece onto piece, making a very loose fitting crotch and one long leg, very unfinished at this stage but moving into the area i'm feeling more comfortable with colourwise. At the start I had been trying to avoid using black, But after reassesing my fabrics I realised I would have to use black as there was alot of this in stock. This also started from the last experiment and through this I found myself more excited about what was going on and where my garments were heading, I was enjoying the colours watermelon, teal, blue and red mixed with black, this lead me onto design a knitted hood to go with the garments which is now in production thanks to my wonderful hand knitters = Christine Hardisty, Glenys Clements and Colleen Kelly. 


But yet again I needed to move onto the next piece as I had two seperate things going on and there was a need to get atleast 3 pieces together that were cohesive and build on those.

experiment 4 - some type of pant.

front

back

So moving onto some type of pant, and I do mean some type of pant literally hahaha. You'll understand what I mean when there's a clearer picture. Mostly using drape, knowing that there is a waist fit and everything can hang from there, creating tunnels - actually building them onto the outside of the garment, which you can see on the front right hand side(the pink bit). At this point I am trying to bring things together into a more cohesive perspective and I have tried to bring colours from the wool jacket into the pant. I didn't go much further than this at this point as I was aware of timing constraints and wanted to move on as I was starting to get an idea of where I wanted to go. 
I was also starting to get more of an idea of the total ridiculousity of some of my garments, they were continuously cracking me up and I couldn't stop laughing at them, they seemed so weird and out of place, which was an original intention. I had from the start intended to make something colourful, sculptural and textural. I had also just managed to get a smocking machine which I wanted to use to bring in some more texture, at the start I just smocked a few different pieces of fabric and tested out sewing them into seams, its very time consuming having to tie off the ends of the thread. So I incorporated a few pieces into these coulottes, I had to cut some out as it was to much and it looked wrong, so this began my editing phase, deciding to use smocking but it needed to be subtle, maybe underneath things/tunnels to help lift the draped pieces up. 


So I got to this point and moved onto the next piece.

experiment 3 - woolen jacket/vest

start of hood - wool

adjoining body of garment

back body pieced, fused and sewn.

front body pieced, fused and sewn.

Moving on from experiment 2 knowing that I needed stable points to work from ie. shoulder point and waist fitting. I started work on another piece I knew I wanted to incorporate different garment types to show that this process is relevant to more than one type of garment. So this woolen hood was started first by the hood part and then by moulding the body (draping on the form) onto the hood and around the front to create armholes and a front opening - this needed to be double breasted to enable the weight of the hood to be held up and for it not to pull backwards. So this has involved flat work - the hood and then draping around the form - the body, these pieces were then fused and sewn together. 



I got to this point knowing it needs finishing, liking the outcome but decided to move on to the next piece, as I needed to get more done and ideas out of my head. I also didn't know what final direction I was going in and wanted to move on so I could hopefully start heading towards a more cohesive idea.

experiment 1 - zerowaste subcut something?

idea = sew bits of fabric together to make one big flat peice, subcut bodice and tunnel technique. do not cut any fabric out with sub cut pattern = zerowaste design.

fabric sewn - wovens!

sub cut - lines to cut - nothing taken out!

fabric draped over dummy - seam opened to create neck hole.

tunnel creation - joining hem to hole made from sewing only side seam.

back - tunnel created a sort of sleeve

Front - one side detached kimono sleeve, the other a twisted tunnel

back - hood created from xtra fabric at back.

There is potential to add more to this to make a dress but i like it the way it is and knowing when to stop is also a valid point, how much do you do? when do you stop? does it look good already or does it need more.something else?. have i created enough interest with where its at already?
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????
questions questions questions

only i can answer these for myself but there are always choices to made with each question. making the decision is always the hardest as you question whether this is the right choice. this is done in fabric by testing and tacking together first. only trial and error can inform these choices.

this garment was made from definitive choices which resulted in
http://senoritaawesumo.blogspot.com/2011/08/splendiferous-occasions-happenstance.html , this made me happy!!!  yet to be finished so lets see if it makes it into my collection!

pushing through the frustration and the as yet unknown

experiment 2

the great unknown is always something that blocks the creativity and freedom of choice whilst making in this way. you have no idea what is going to happen as there is no plan, the only plan so far has been to create a stable base to build onto, whilst mixing fabrics and then adding on pieces from there before creating tunnels or whatever happens with whats hanging off, mostly not concerned with seams being straight and well sown - french seaming all seams so that if the fabric gets turned inside out with tunnels or whatever it wont matter, french seaming has also added a stiffer structure to seams where woven fabrics are present. this has created another element to the structure of the garment.

this process has shown me the things i KNOW and QUESTIONS for future consideration.

KNOW

stable base.
side seam invis zip for ease of getting on and off.
fabric has 2 sides.
french seams create structure/stability.


QUESTIONS

what should the end result be?
what piece should i add on where and when?
when should i close a seam?
when have i added enough fabric?
......................................................

Questions arise with any process, the next question is should i worry about these questions, should i forget all rules and go nuts with it? but even in saying that there will always be problems with solutions to be found. its a process of exploration and experimentation, its being ok with the risk of making something that doesn't work or look good/comfortable/flattering. trailing ideas and going through the process piece by piece literally.

Start = build a base!!!!

sewn base w invis zip in side seam

where its at now - back

where its at now  - front

after making the base i then started building out,down and up from this. i'm at the point of have i got enough? do i need more? how long do i want it? is it a dress or a top? these are decisions i now need to make.

there is alot of fabric in this garment, mostly contained in the sides, it is a mix of chiffon's and wovens. when you hold them out they kinda look like butterfly wings. an expanse of fabric when mixed together thru the tunnel system will create an interesting aesthetic.

as yet i dont know what the final aesthetic really is, it is trial and error time!!! good things have come from this process already and they will continue to as i work.

peace!

ps. my studio looks like a fabric dinosaur spewed on the floor. haha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

expansion overload 3rd year final collection!!!!

Mood Wallage!!!!!

The expansion from the last collection has taken me on a crazy journey, through classes with Julian Roberts at Massey Uni with The Cutting Circle http://thecuttingcircle.com/  which was an amazing opportunity I was excited to be part of. But also exploration of my personal capabilities in risk taking and freedom of design. I'm still at the beginning of this process of collection design but I am looking forward to the exciting possibilities this freedom and risk will find. Exploration is key.

This mood wall contains

miranda brown     walter van beirendonck     Vionnet     Dior     john galliano     dinosaurs     stegasaurus          larry's eye         a world map            3 of Ahmads  awesum pencil drawings               Ruse drawing                 Julian Roberts       subtraction cutting     fabric     jean m auel the clan of the cave bear series        indian women dying cloth     kiwi     sew, make, do, fuck u     brand me, label me, consume me, subversity     renaissance dinosaur     embellishments     gold     blue    lineal     playful     sculptural     textural     colourful       evolution         challenge        integrity      



this is where i begin, now its time to explore and create mistakes if necessary, take risks, have freedom of choice, drive myself crazy with questions that sometimes have no answears, find solutions for problems

Shaping Sustainable Fashion, changing the way we make and use clothes = my new bible = http://www.earthscan.co.uk/?tabid=102583

Sustainable Fashion & Textiles - Design Journeys,  Kate Fletcher http://www.katefletcher.com/

There are so many more excellent books out there on this subject, these 2 are among the best in my opinion, if the subject interests you then these are 2 very good starting points, but also good to have on hand as referral items. 


I plan to start with a few experiments and evolve from there, I am looking at interesting ways of utilising what i have already in the way of waste materials. But also not limiting myself to just those and incorporating, if they compliment, fabrics from my storeroom.


Thats where i'm at!!!!!! Get to it!!!!!!

Peace!!!

waste what? just entered a competition, yay!!!!

fashioning-the-future awards
just entered my latest work in the fashioning the future awards @ the London College of Fashion, that's pretty exciting, here's hoping someone thinks it's worth a look!!!!!

wish me luck!!!!


and now shortlisted, post it away!!!!! yus!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.dowse.org.nz/News/Latest-News/Yield-Making-Fashion-Without-Making-Waste/

so very excited about going to see this exhibition over queens birthday weekend, it will be great to see what other people are doing and have done in the past, how it is evolving into the future, to create a better fashion system. these people are all inspirational for me and i have been following some of them for the last few years. Zandra Rhodes for her tactile and unstructred way of working, Yeohlee Teng for her amazing hoods, Holly Mcquillan for her tailored zerowaste designs. Julian Roberts for his experimental view on creating fashion and his way of working. Timo Rissanen for his research and papers on waste in the fashion system. All of these people have given me ideas and helped in my research towards creating clothes from waste fabrics. Waste not, Want not! is a big idea that could be taken to many places. I am hoping to show that with the clothing i create this year!

julian roberts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQwinkUtNSY

julian roberts 'pattern landscapes'

i love the way this man thinks about fashion creation, he is open to change and willing to let the fabric, the cuts and the flow speak for themselves. encouraging experimentation. i love the passionate way he speaks about his process and his ethos of garments covered in DNA, clothing should be precious, he shares his designs so others can learn and grow, working towards a changing future in fashion creation.

http://julianand.com/ his wednesday website - only available on wednesdays is excellent.

fabric recycling machines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOMbGukEB2o&playnext=1&list=PL17987456A95510A8


this is where it ends up if its lucky, what use does it have now and how much of this stuff is there in this world.

Gary Harvey is someone who is definitely inspirational in the recycled couture field, his ideas to give old things new life is a great one, although his clothes are not wearable in the everyday world they highlight the fashion systems plight of excess.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5z1PYFPdM0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2TpHdMd9Ng interview w gary harvey at NY fashion week 2010. hideous interviewer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-OlIs5UazQ&NR=1

waste not want not!!!

We waste so many things in this world, and it's not ok with me for this to happen continuously, the fashion world we live in with its wasteful fashion system is one rooted system that needs some help to change. These things are never easy but with a little experimentation and open thought about processes and ideas taking form we can work towards a better zerowaste ethical fashion creation.

In thinking this way and researching the current fashion system and those wanting to see some change i have found one area of fashion creation others do not see. This is creating clothing from waste fabrics the 15% left on the cutting room floor. I have discovered that if you collect enough of similar fabrics you can easily create more clothing from this, It is a process of sorting, laying out, draping on form and sewing whilst draping. It is an intuitive way of making clothing, fitting them around the form and piecing negative spaces together. The use of gathering and pleating is also utilised to create ease.

I have found this process to be very delightful and easy to do. It is as if the fabric knows where it fits and has a home already!!

This is just the start!!!

peace!!