Broken Threads

Role

Creative Director

Timeline

Jan. 2025 - May 2025

Medium

Fashion Design, Graphic Design, Photography

Outcomes

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

All Clothes From the Project Before Alterations

Sweatshirt Sleeves After Repair

Levi’s 505 Knee Distressing

Destroyed Sweatshirt Shoulder

The Audience

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.

Destroyed Sleeve of Russel Crewneck

Research

“Fashion is changing every 3 years. In that sense I am not a fashion designer. I don’t chase the trends.” - Yohji Yamamoto

Anti-Fashion

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

Trend Forecasting &
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

Thesis

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.

Approach

Since I was attempting to engage young fashion enthusiasts. A combination of sustainable fashion design and photography was combined with storytelling through an essay and quick digestible facts.

Adding Tanin and Alum to Soaking Bath

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.

Sweatshirt Sleeves After Repairs

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.

The Work

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.

Completed Sashiko Patch

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.

Jeans in Dye Bath

Completed Sock Sweater

Sweatshirt After Repairs

Levi’s 505 After Repairs

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.

The Exhibit

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.

Broken Threads | 2025

The anti-fashion designers of the 80s and 90s like Yohji Yamamoto and Rei Kawakubo were not reacting to bad taste. They were taking a more personal approach to their designs, regardless of what trendmakers had to say. That ethos is what I kept coming back to throughout this project.

The question I asked myself was simple: what does anti-fashion look like now, when the dominant trend is not a silhouette or a color but a behavior? Overconsumption. Garments bought for a single moment, worn twice, discarded.

My answer was to slow down and work with what I already owned.

Working with pieces from my own closet that needed attention, I learned mending techniques and worked through a pattern from Maison Margiela. Skills I did not have before, applied to clothes I already loved. The result was not newness. It was renewal. Garments I am genuinely excited to keep wearing, made more mine in the process.

But the project was never only about the clothes. Fast fashion does something to the way we think about ourselves. It teaches us that who we are is always one purchase away, that the right outfit will finally make us feel like the person we want to be. It will not. Your clothes do not make you who you are. They are a consequence of who you already are.

The people who set the trends worth following are not chasing them. They are just living, and dressing accordingly.

Judges Choice Award & Absolute Zero Waste Award at CFE.7

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.

CFE.7 Runway - Elisha Karottu