Melinda Yang
Week 1 – Introduction to sustainability
From this week’s lecture, we have talked about the importance of sustainable fashion. I learned that we could used methods to help the materials to last longer such as up-cycling, reuse, repair, etc. Through my research, I found out that the packaging of food and wrapping of packages in our lives takes up a large portion of the garbage. Majority of these packages are made of plastics, which is one of the most environmental harmful element. Therefore, I brought some packaging trash to the print workshop such as bubble wrap, packaging paper and netting bags.
I started with some simple patterns of printing the materials onto paper. Then, I experiment with different shape and pattern placement to create alternative effects.
- A sustainable collection by fashion designer Iris van Herpen. Every garment in the collection is made entirely from ocean plastic trash. Herpen is committed to sustainable apparel by utilizing waste.
https://theinspirationgrid.com/earthrise-sustainable-fashion-design-by-iris-van-herpen/
Week 2 “Emerging Technologies in Fashion”
This week we talked about the importance of “Emerging Technologies in Fashion” and how with the changing times, many of today’s fashion industries require the intake of technology. Thus I tried to use the pattern prints from the sustainability project that I experimented and designed in week 1. I used Adobe photoshop software to digitalize the prints. I achieved by taking the initial print in photoshop and use different position arrangements and color adjustments to form a different print result. After, I found that digitization is an indispensable companion for designers, because work digitally allows me to see more possibilities with the phisical works inorder to get the desired effect. In the end, I got four ideal prints.
I learned that digitizing allows prints to be implemented on the surface of an object, allowing the designer or customer to see the effect of the print being used. Thus I manipulate the final print on different objects such as bowls, chair, bags, etc. I use free mockups from the internet and put them into photoshop to add my own prints to realize the prints.
Week 3: Introduction to the Environmental Impact of the Fashion Industry
In this week’s lecture, I learned about the serious impacts and harms that the fashion industry does to the environment. The garbage produced by running clothing factories and the water waste from the dyes are the key harmful factor to the economy . Although people in this day are always emphasizing on being eco-friendly and constant promotion of reuse, repurpose, and recycling. however, it is truthful that people are continually buying new clothes and throwing away old ones, especially in fast fashion. In this lecture, I learned that clothing and nature have a strong connection and that they should work together for the betterment of each other, not the other way around.
I researched through the V&A Museum’s website to learn more about the relationship between fashion and nature.
- https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-future-of-fashion
From the theme ‘The Future of Fashion’ I found out about more environmentally friendly methods of producing clothing that people have developed and tried. For example, the company, Colorifix, uses an environmentally friendly dye transfer medium to bind microorganisms to the fabric, which is then heated so that the microorganisms fix the dye to the fabric. This method much more saves water as well as creates a pollution-free dyeing process. This method of dye has already accompanied with designers, such as Stella McCartney, leading the future sustainable fashion further steps away.
My experiment with natural dye:
The researches has inspired me with the ideas of dyeing from natural veggies. I started with preparing some vegetables from the fridge, some fabrics samples and tape. I first started with few green onion and lay them out on a 100% cotton fabric. Therefore, I started to tape them onto the fabric with a transparent tape. I used a pot and tried to hammered the pigment from the onion into the fabric. While removing the tape, the pigment could be transferred onto the fabric.
However, I found the results unsatisfactory, perhaps there wasn’t enough water or pigment contains in the green onions which failed to print all the colors on the fabric. Therefore I started to experiment with other veggie. eventually I chose to use vegetable leaves to print on the fabric, I switched from cotton to a 100% polyester fabric and as a result I found that the colors of the leaves were printed completely on the fabric. The color of the leaves gradually spread out and air-dried, and the shape became rounder and softer.
In conclusion, I enjoyed the process of dyeing and I am satisfied with the look of the dye print from veggie leafs. I also collected each roll of leaves that used to print on fabric and pieced layers together into a new print. Therefore, I applied another layer of transparent tape on top of the leaves which remains in a soft texture that is similar with fabrics. Throughout the process, I became more cognizant of the connection between nature and fashion. I also found nature’s color palette to be much more pastel and compelling.
Week 4 Sustainable culture
In this week’s lecture, I learned that the textile heritage of marginalized groups is systematically obscured by the abusive cultural appropriation practices of fashion brands. Textile crafts carry many traditions that bind generations together. Textiles and clothing have always been symbols of identity, belonging and culture. Therefore, people must pay more attention to decolonizing textiles and fashion.
I have researched the culture of quilting in Ghana textile culture. I was inspired by the vibrant colors and intricate patterns. The fabrics and quilts communicate stories and experiences of individuals and communities to the audience.
I absorbed the color palette with the shape structure and mimic the effect in my own work. I used illustrator to draw shapes and created few prints. I tried to illustrate a face by using simple shapes symbolize communities and individuals.
Week 5 Empathy
In this week’s lecture, we learned about the importance of empathy in communities and within individuals. The lack of empathy can result in social isolation which individuals may not feel understood or connected to each other. Before having this lecture, I did not particularly paid attention to the feeling of empathy. Now, I felt more engaged and understand of how support and connections are made through empathy.
In terms of this topic, I thought of my grandfather who was a fighter pilot. In my memories and from listening to my mom’s remembrances, Grandpa was a very strict and harsh person. He would very severely punish my mom for something as simple as not waking up early, which caused my mom to grow up in the environment of rules and accusations. This made me thought about the term PTSD(Post-traumatic stress disorder) in soldiers. According to research, Veterans who have experienced PTSD may be overwhelmed by negative emotions. Post-Soldiers may also find it difficult to build trust, have feelings of guilt, shame, remorse, be disinterested in activities they used to enjoy, or have a really hard time feeling happy.
After, I watched the documentary “Returning from the Iraq War with PTSD – Soldier’s Heart” and tried to empathize as the soldiers talked about their experiences and feelings in war. Although it was hardly possible to truly feel what it was in a battlefield, as I watched the entire documentary, my heart grew heavier and felt depressed with the soldiers’ descriptions.
I used the method of color therapy, and changed the color pallet on a soldier uniform to a healing soft and calm color combinations. Finally, achieved in some prints.
On the whole, I can see your talent in printing from the blog articles in recent weeks. In the workshop class, you skillfully use all kinds of materials as printing media, which was a very smart decision. Of course, I also noticed that you shared Iris van Herpen’s sustainable fashion design, and I found it very interesting.
What surprises me most is that you can convert the printed materials into different colors, thus obtaining different effects. What’s even more impressive is that you took the next step and applied these printed materials to real thing, which made me see them on bowls or bags intuitively.
Of course, I think there is still room for improvement in the layout of blogs. Personally, I prefer clear photos, so it’s best to put two clear big pictures in a row, which can show your sample details more intuitively. I think it will be good to extract some contents from these details as the direction of future development.