Un-Dress Project
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 in Alabama, California, Illinois, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, as well as England, France, Iceland, and Scotland. 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 in Alabama, California, Illinois, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, as well as England, France, Iceland, and Scotland. 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.
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 Sarah Arnsparger