10 JUNE

INSPIRATION. 

The chronic rage of convenience. 

In an age of drive through dinner, constant reminders of the ease of online shopping - whether it be clothing, wellness or any other necessity and beyond. 

All of a sudden - the important elements of life are quickly ignored. Hard work is being shunned to artificial intelligence, patience is more of a rarity than a virtue. 

As a person grounded in the ritual of making a bed, cooking a meal, sewing and patterning and developing clothes by hand - the fast paced world is menacing and cruel. The rise of fast fashion and the rapid speed in which our earth is deteriorating at us as a humanities hands is the perfect cocktail for chronic rage. 

There is so much to be angry about. More to be educated on, more to protest and long for. In a world rooted so heavily in the click of the button, from a device gathering all your information, this garments intention is to delete. Rebelling against the climate of one click wonders - as we are all guilty of. Adding an extra layer of intention, intimacy and care as you enter the garment. 

The added discomfort of wearing, and perhaps to some looking at the garment, insinuates and reinforces my desire to discredit convenience. Although I appreciate the concept - I resonate more with direct thankfulness. Thanking the chef that prepared your meal, thanking the person who served you. Who took their time and skills to care for you. It seems to me the more convenient it becomes, the hungrier we find ourselves. 

Call me old school, call me pretentious, call me privileged. I am privileged. Privileged to live a life without a veil - with modern solutions to modern problems. I am privileged to have perspective and live in a country without constant threat of death. Gunfire and bombings. I am privileged to provide myself a meal,  utilising the ability to cook. I am privileged with the knowledge of where my clothes come from and how much less convenient they are than the click of the button, the swipe of a card. It is a privilege to know, to feel, to own, to grieve. Convenience is chronically making me angry, and this garment softens that blow. 

WASTE SOURCE; OVERCONSUMPTION. 

In an effort to cleanse my space of clutter I have found I have completely overconsumed. Tshirts I haven't thought about in years, socks in the bottom of the drawer riddled with holes. The waste source for this garment is ME. A product of my own habits of attachment and perhaps laziness, as a solution to the garments and odds and ends that perhaps would have never been loved again.

18 JUNE 

In an effort to think more about my topic of overconsumption, I began a thought process surrounding the feelings I experience in the aftermath. There's an energy of drowning - submerging into the puddle of clothes from the closet clearout. A guilt, heaviness in consideration. Consideration for the hands that brung those clothes to life, the effort put into each piece now strewn onto my carpet to donate. I think of those not fortunate enough to have the excess I possess. 

As I reflect on these emotions, my brain is drawn to my favourite book - fashion and the psyche. The title itself reflects back the emotion I feel, the sentimental value of the garments I own. Outgrowing phases, sizes, feelings attached. Fashion and the physical psyche, the growth of the human form and the attachment modern media and the body have. The restraint so many people feel to conform to a beauty standard, perhaps in the wake of cyber bullying. 

19 JUNE 

The thought of the straight jacket keeps compelling me. The physical restraint attached to overconsumption and again back to the thought of ‘drowning.’ I wonder if the Victorian era of dress ever felt so consuming? The layers and technical elements of their everyday dress - the patriarchy appearances could describe. 

26 JUNE 

Somatic exercise. Relating to the body, especially as distinct to the mind. Origins in 18th Century Greek - late 18th century: from Greek sōmatikos, from sōma ‘body’. 

The practice of medicine in our modern world originates almost purely from the absolute need - for healthcare has become a luxury once again. Although our medical physicians are highly trained in the anatomy of the body, the way to fight infections without poisoning a population we struggle to find answers. Many people leave that office after 15 minutes having forked out $150 to be told to destress, take antidepressants, sleep better. Somatically speaking the healthcare system is the drowning feeling of the fashion industry. 15 minutes in and straight back out. Feeling deflated and dragged. 

1 JULY 

A nagging thought of guilt has been circling my brain as I further conceive my concept. Guilt as I realise my waste source is flawed. The initial intention of the wardrobe cleansing was to donate the excess to the salvation army, the SPCA. Clothing donation has been a longstanding tradition in my life - as has the theme of overconsumption. In an age of social media and fast fashion cycles, the circularity of my wardrobe has become apparent. Honestly, it had never crossed my mind that this was a contribution to the larger problem. It felt natural and honest to be rid of something that no longer served me. 

Quite often as I walk to work I observe a large skip on Dominion Road. Frequently it is full with textiles - perhaps untouched some days and others strewn around the empty car park. I notice the blanket dumped on the walk through the city, never touched, never moved. Always there, however. 

The burden of textiles in my personal life is major. Hence the guilt I feel taking those perfectly fine garments out of a deserving persons hands. However, on the contrary, what better way to connect my guilt back into my garment? Observe the weight of my contribution to this international problem. Feel the way the garment moves and looks - the eyes of those garments replaced. In lieu of donating the clothes, a contribution to those on the front lines of the fast fashion epidemic. Perhaps local charities, international organisations working towards the greater good. 

The scale of the garment opposing the the value I’ve placed on each individual piece is another building brick in the foundation of this garment. The love, the thought, the strenuation and care. Priced and scaled, the donation should come from the total working price. To place the value back into the hands of the unfairly paid workers thanking them for the first brick.