ZESTY REWORKS:

Another platform that stroke an interest was Zesty Reworks, as they are doing something relatively similar to what our initial ideas were. By collaborating with other clothing brans first-hand as a means to make use of waste material, is a great process in getting to the root of the problem in the fashion industry. For example, their last collaboration was with a vintage fashion clothing brand ‘Lautoka Vintage’ where they reworked a number of vintage pieces giving them a new lease of life.

From observing their online presence and aesthetic I presumed their demographic would be from late teen to early twenties. This research was helpful as our chosen demographic is similar and a lot of the imagery and visuals were good inspiration for how we could layout our social media/website.

Whilst the surge of shopping sustainably and altering/ reusing clothing you already have is on the rise, users on social media, in particular TikTok, sharing DIY and sewing videos has also grown in popularity.

After doing some research looking for sustainable projects that reach out to a similar audience to our project, I realised social media is the one platform majority of 14-18 year olds are engaged in. An article by Refinery 29 looked into the ‘sewingtiktok’ trend which has apparently accumulated 725 million views. It spoke about how creators are sharing videos of them recreating luxury designer and vintage pieces with a small budget.

The sewing Tiktok went viral in 2020 when the JW Anderson crochet cardigan started trending on Tiktok after an image of Harry Styles wearing it made the rounds. Multiple creators started sharing their attempts at making their own versions using the hashtag harrystylescardigan.  The viral trend managed to reach designer Jonathon Anderson himself who showed support and then released the cardigans official pattern for creators to replicate. This is a good example of allowing designer luxury garments to become more accessible to everyone. Whilst it isn’t the same thing doing it by yourself, it does create a more sustainable community when it comes to fashion, not paying into an industry that uses environmentally harmful resources. It also gives consumers the option to use materials of their choice, whether bought new or re-used from previous clothing/accessories.

Furthermore, many creators are gaining massive influence on the platform for their DIY sewing hacks. Maddie White is an example who is a selftaught sewer, her method is to find outfits or aesthetics she can recreate with her own designs and shows the process behind making them on a tight budget. She has taken on some iconic looks such as a glittery butterfly Versace dress worn by Cher and Dua Lipa, a black Cult Gaia flower cut-out top worn by Ariana Grande, and a mini version of the Jean Paul Gaultier white couture gown worn by Bella Hadid at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

This could be a really good avenue for our project to take. ‘Green Miracle’ being a service based platform for younger ages to learn how to be more sustainable when it comes to fashion means we have to think of all the different ways we can reach our audience. I think social media is definitely a good way we can do this, using certain hashtags and trends as inspiration and to create a sense of community.

Article:

https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2021/09/10687246/sewing-tiktok-viral-trend

I wanted to experiment with using different found materials/fabrics to construct different accessories. I decided to put my knitting skills to use to construct a denim knitted bag. I used old scraps of denim and cut into strips to then tie together and knit with chunky needles.

(Will upload photos when possible, had some technical difficulty)

Also using scrap materials, I am going to crochet straps that can be attached to bags/purses. Small accessories are the main focus for tutorials as they are quick and easy to construct, and also simple instructions to follow for our chosen age range.

ECO SCHOOLS:

• Encouraging young people to engage in their environment, giving them the opportunity to actively protect it. It starts in the classroom, expands to the school and eventually fosters change in the community at large.
• Good way of educating kids about improving their environmental footprint. Also gives schools a chance to be more sustainable providing a less costly and more responsible school environment,
• Big emphasis on involving local community from the very beginning

Although this is a different approach to what we are trying to achieve (ours being more fashion textile based) it is a similar concept; educating young people on how to be more sustainable to therefore see real results in our environment.

Also, the age range for this programme is slightly younger than our desired target audience which is around 19-23.

Eco schools relies on school leaders and is a compulsory part of school schedules for pupils of that audience. Our target market however is slightly older meaning our platform/workshops would be most likely be dependent on the amount of interest, people who want to join.

ECO SCHOOLS- Cut your carbon:

Eco-schools also started a new national campaign where they produce a series of resources and activities for young people, aiming to raise awareness about carbon emissions. The initiative covers three main sources of carbon emissions in our climate today: Textiles, energy use and food.

The idea was for each school to choose one of the carbon emitting areas, where they would be assigned an activity specifically for that chosen area.

Area 1 would be focused on textiles, 2 would be energy, and 3 would be for food. This allows schools to choose which area they think children would have an opportunity to make really make a difference and engage with the most.  Furthermore, the textiles aspect specifically is a great starting point for kids to learn more about fast fashion and how there are ways to shop for clothing responsibly.

LEAP THEN LOOK:

Leap then Look was another organisation that I though would be interesting to look at as a service based platform using creative practice to approach sustainability. Although they are using textiles/fashion specifically, they do use scrap materials in majority of their workshops and limit waste.

Leap then Look creates art works, workshops and group projects for people of all ages and abilities. Using a variety of different approaches from performance, film, photography, installation there’s a discipline for everyone to choose from and enjoy.

Leap then Look was established in 2019 and has worked at a number of institutions such as the Tate, Royal Academy, Phoenix Art Space, Orleans House Gallery, Photoworks, Brighton Photo Fringe, Thomas Tallis School, West Rise School, Hemmingway Design Events, and Universities of Brighton, Kingston, Westminster and UCL Institute of Education.