Sometimes profound moments come from the mundane, like finding wisdom in a line spoken on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I look to bring the power of story to discarded items, weaving nostalgia and personal symbolism into pieces. I address womanhood, domestication, tradition, and consumerism using a patchwork quilt approach - various mediums and moments from life brought together to make something new. I find patterns in process and meaning while trying to resolve my experience as well as relating to the common experience. My practice often involves collaboration, which speaks to the female experience of being smaller-than/ less-than and requiring the approval of others to be heard.
Starting with a bed skirt, a shower curtain, and some towels, I made a dress that challenges the lack of sustainability of the wedding dress. Instead of being worn only once, as is often the case with cheap, fast-fashion items, this dress would travel the world with a message to the fashion industry: a message of body inclusivity, addressing the lack of diverse women in fashion advertising. The dress’s construction was intentionally designed to adjust to a range of sizes and body shapes. What began as a project on fashion sustainability morphed into a lesson on complex questions, hard answers, and finding my voice.
Starting with a bed skirt, a shower curtain, and some towels, I made a dress that challenges the lack of sustainability of the wedding dress. Instead of being worn only once, as is often the case with cheap, fast-fashion items, this dress would travel the world with a message to the fashion industry: a message of body inclusivity, addressing the lack of diverse women in fashion advertising. The dress’s construction was intentionally designed to adjust to a range of sizes and body shapes. What began as a project on fashion sustainability morphed into a lesson on complex questions, hard answers, and finding my voice.
In 2015, as the trend for green beauty brands and organic food was growing, I noticed a lack of momentum, or even conversation, on sustainability in fashion. After viewing “Racing Extinction” and “Rana Plaza Collapse Documentary: The Deadly Cost of Fashion” I had questions and felt compelled to act. Why was no one addressing the fact that the fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world, behind only the oil industry? The conversation that needed to happen was urgent. This is when the Un-Dress Project began.
I wanted to make a dress from the first discarded materials I came across. A bed skirt, a shower curtain, and some towels later, I was on my way to making a dress that acknowledges how incredibly unsustainable the wedding dress is. Instead of being worn only once, as is often the case with cheap, fast-fashion items, this dress would travel the world with a message. The project also addresses body inclusivity, or more so, the lack of diverse women in fashion advertising. The dress’s construction was intentionally designed to adjust to a range of sizes and body shapes. The dress has made many appearances. To support the project, artists, models, bloggers, and photographers have documented the dress at their individual locations, passing the project along through ride-share whenever possible.
I wanted to make a dress from the first discarded materials I came across. A bed skirt, a shower curtain, and some towels later, I was on my way to making a dress that acknowledges how incredibly unsustainable the wedding dress is. Instead of being worn only once, as is often the case with cheap, fast-fashion items, this dress would travel the world with a message. The project also addresses body inclusivity, or more so, the lack of diverse women in fashion advertising. The dress’s construction was intentionally designed to adjust to a range of sizes and body shapes. The dress has made many appearances. To support the project, artists, models, bloggers, and photographers have documented the dress at their individual locations, passing the project along through ride-share whenever possible.
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Collaborators
Jon Morgan, Maegan Hill-Carol, Shane Woodard, Celosia, Rho Boggan, Holly Rose, Katelyn Oliver, Edward Badham, the girls at Cladich Cottage, Emma McGriggor, Ashly McClure, Svala JohannDottir, Marci Morro, Isaac Nunn, Ena Becirovic, Kienna, Olga, Nancy Benson, Liesa Cole, Wallace James Clothing Company, Margie Crawford, Bridgette Nelson, Porcupine Glove, Sammi, Leah Karol, Tara Stallworth Lee, Ground Floor Contemporary, Reanna Williams, Katie D'Arienzo, and Carter Arnsparger
Locations
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