Slow Fashion October Week 1: YOU
Makers gonna make...and that includes confetti cutting, on the table, whilst sporting undies and a T-shirt. Nice to meet you! My name is Charlotte and when I was a kid, I was a serial maker. I tried my hand at, embroidery, drawing, knitting, sewing, hand sewing, confetti, origami, macramé and what not. However, besides the drawing, nothing stuck.
It wasn't until I started my fashion education in 2003 that I got serious about making, and make, I did...Together with a small army of interns I have sewn over a thousand garments! And all that sewing made me understand that clothing should not be wasted by treating garments as a disposable commodity. I started reading articles, books, went to lectures and watched documentaries about the unfashionable side of fashion, on a quest for a more sustainable style.
It wasn't until I started my fashion education in 2003 that I got serious about making, and make, I did...Together with a small army of interns I have sewn over a thousand garments! And all that sewing made me understand that clothing should not be wasted by treating garments as a disposable commodity. I started reading articles, books, went to lectures and watched documentaries about the unfashionable side of fashion, on a quest for a more sustainable style.
However, when I started working as a fashion designer in a many ways I was following the system that had so many flaws. Two collections per year, overproducing, using fabrics without knowing anything about where or how they are made, and on top of that I overworked myself thinking it was how it's supposed to be. Well, it didn't work and I pulled the plug for almost a year. I used that time to think about how I to run a sustainable business that was also sustainable for me as a maker. I switched to organic cottons and fair fabrics and started making on demand, now I only make my designs to order and tiny batches for Groos (an amazing concept store where I sell my collection). This year I also started selling my designs as PDF sewing patterns so you can make your own. Did I figure everything out yet? Well...Let's just say it´s a work in progress. Baby steps, right?
A relatively new skill that I took up, is knitting. When I started my collaborating with Granny's Finest I decided to at least try to learn the basics. Fast forward 2 years later and I am not only still knitting...I love (kn)it! Making your own fabric by hand, stitch by stitch, row by row...it always amazes me to see a project slowly grow into a wearable piece. I also appreciate the pace of knitting, slow and steady, repetitive and meditative. Slow fashion at it's best.
Some plans for the coming month...Look at my own wardrobe and analyze what I wear and how I can get more wear from what I already own. Maybe do a little play&pose session remixing and dressing up with my own wardrobe. Konmari the dust bunnies, find the gaps and start to fill them with handmade pieces using my stash.
Slow Fashion October is a great initiative started by Karen from Fringe Association, to spark discussion and explore the wide range of topics related to sustainable fashion. You can read more about it on her (fabulous) blog.
Since it is a theme close to my heart I decided to join in, and I have already been inspired by reading all these stories (and and and ;) and I am looking forward to reading even more in the coming weeks. Thanks for stopping by and reading my (late) story for week 1 of the #slowfashionoctober / @slowfashionoctober.
Drop a link to share yours below, I would love to read it!