Creative Director
Jan. 2025 - May 2025
Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Photography
- 5 completed garments
- Thesis essay
- Over 100 photographs
- Displayed in Krannert Art Museum
- Judges Choice Award & Absolute Zero Waste Award at CFE.7 design competition
The Problem
The modern fashion industry and trend cycles result in overconsumption and an unhealthy relationship with clothing.
Trend cycles and social media have conditioned us to see clothing as a vehicle to be who we want to be. Fast fashion has made it possible to afford every new outfit and every new style.
University of North Carolina
Earth.org
Whering.co.uk
The target audience for this project is younger individuals approximately 18-24 who might be getting into fashion for the first time. They strive for something more than what can be found on Amazon or retailers like Walmart and Target, but have a limited budget. They are struggling to find themselves and their personal style.
They want to look like the influencers they see on social media. They really love the look of vintage washed pieces.
Although they get all the trendy pieces they want, they still feel unfulfilled and they don’t feel like how they imagine their favorite influencer feels.
They want to keep up with influencer styles and express themselves through viral fashion trends without spending too much money.
They wish the clothes didn’t fall apart so quickly and they do have some ethical concerns, but they prioritize keeping up with trends.
“Fashion is changing every 3 years. In that sense I am not a fashion designer. I don’t chase the trends.” - Yohji Yamamoto
In the 1980’s and 90’s, designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo, and Martin Margiela made waves in the fashion industry. Their work is considered by many today to be “anti-fashion”.
These designer’s work starkly contrasted the flashy style of the time like Versace’s gold, pops of color, and hyperfemininity.
In the 80’s and 90’s trends were a crucial part of the industry. A small group of tastemakers would declare the next popular thing with limited knowledge of the actual zeitgeist.
Yamamoto, Kawakubo, Margiela, and others chose to ignore those tastemakers and took a more personal approach to their designs. Majority black, imperfect, unconventional looks stunned the public and forever changed the industry.
Anti-fashion in the 90’s
Bliss Foster
Fast Fashion
Founded in 1998, by the 2010’s WGSN revolutionized the fashion industry. Through meticulous research on the streets, at fashion shows, and online, WGSN research teams curate a trend forecast two years in advance with 90% accuracy.
The vast majority of modern fashion houses from Acne Studios to Zara rely on these reports.
These massive forces working in tandem combined with a fast paced social media culture promote mass consumption, and a loss of authentic personal style.
Earth.org
wsj.com
The goal of this project is to explore what anti-fashion can be today.
To educate young fashion enthusiasts about the reality of the industry and the trend machine.
To encourage living an authentic life, consuming less clothing, and letting your personal style come naturally.
03. Sashiko & Visible Mending
An ancient practice that not only extends a garment’s life, but connects it to the wearer and creates something unique and special.
The ancient art of Sashiko stitching used to be looked down upon, when Japanese people of the Edo period used it to prolong the life of there fabrics, which were hard to come by.
In modern day, fabrics with sashiko stitching are somewhat coveted, and people often practice sashiko as a decorative technique on fabric that does not need repair.
01. Dyeing
Textile dyeing with natural materials has long been an interest of mine. Not only for sustainability reasons but for the natural and often imperfect beauty.
These Wranglers were dyed in my home kitchen using powdered materials purchased online.
02. Sock Sweater
Based on a pattern from Martin Margiela, this sweater takes old socks and repurposes them into something new and valuable.
Using a serger and some scissors, even an inexperienced craftsman can create something.
All of these repairs could have been done by machine, but I wanted each repair to feel personal, something somewhat removed when using a machine.
My hours of handiwork on each garment has made me feel more connected to them, and proud to wear them, and explain the process to anyone who asks. It is unlikely that you would see garments like these at a trendy store at the mall, but they are part of what makes me, me.
A serger was used to construct the sock sweater, though I would argue that garment gets its personality from the materials used rather than the stitching.
The repairs of this project stick mostly to the whip stitch and traditional running stitch to secure patches and provide stability while remaining beginner friendly.
Displayed at the Krannert Art Museum as part of the 2025 BFA show, Broken Threads saw hundreds of visitors and gave away 100 handouts.
The exhibit showcased the finished garments, editorial studio photography of the garments/looks as well as process work, facts about the fashion industry, and an essay explaining the mission of the project.
The Inspiration for this project stems from the anti-fashion designers of the 80s and 90s. Not necessarily in aesthetics, but definitely in ethos.
I asked myself, what can anti-fashion look like today in a world where the overwhelming trend is overconsumption and garments for quick moments.
My answer is slowing down, and working with already existing materials from my closet that needed a refresh. Through mending techniques and a unique pattern courtesy of Maison Margiela, the project gave me new skills to combat textile waste, and renewed garments that I am excited to keep wearing.
The secondary goal of this project is to combat the psychological side of fast fashion, microtrends, by exposing people to “slow fashion”. These trend cycles result to mass overconsumption and an unhealthy relationship with our clothing.
Your clothes are a result of your personality outside of fashion. Your clothes do not make you who you are, they are a consequence of the way you live. Living an authentic and fulfilling life will do so much more for you than any piece of trendy clothing ever could.
Styles and trends are set by people being themselves, so be yourself.
Broken Threads won Judges Choice Award and Absolute Zero Waste Award at Circular Fashion Expo Design Competition, a biannual event centered around sustainable fashion practices.
The project was presented to a panel made up of faculty, students, and local business owners.