Reflections on Fashion
Fashion in its purest form is art, while fast fashion is a business model. The line between fashion and fast fashion is blurred by short-sighted vision, consumerism and aggressive marketing.
One of the biggest sustainable aspects of my entry is the use of zero-waste patterning for the dress and Jacket. 80 per cent of a product’s environmental footprint is determined during design: I aspire to minimise textile waste with all my work.
The GOWN was created from Ahimsa raw-silk (non-violently bred and harvested). Leftover silk is folded at the bustier and accented with traditional hand-embroidery.
The COAT is covered in mirror (Shisha) embroidery. Thousands of strategically placed mirrors are hand-embroidered and fastened in place with pure-silk thread.
MILLINERY: hand-painted, naturally molted Macaw feathers with bio-cultured skin and electronic components, creating movement of the wing.
NECKLACE/EARRINGS: Leftover embroidery supplies from past collections and up-cycling.
HEELS 12th Century technique of ‘Repujado’ which involves punching/creating relief on metal, combined with contemporary reflective tape- cutting to create an ‘armoured’ shoe.
CLUTCH Hand-embroidered textile with crushed mirrors; all excess from the coat’s embroidery.
NAILS Bio-plastic
Ali Rauf
Slow fashion is not a movement or a fad, it’s about turning back the clock to a time where we worked with nature rather than against it.
It’s about taking the time to appreciate what we have: the people, the environment, and the beauty we create together. There has been a change in what we put both in and on our bodies, contributing to the degradation of our values and planet.
A neglected aspect of sustainable design is the need to create pieces people want to wear time and time again. If the youth of today are taught to appreciate the craftsmanship and love behind handmade fashion, we can revolutionise future buying habits.
