This project, titled Slow was the capstone to my BFA in graphic deisgn at Maine College of Art. After researching slow fashion for the duration of one semester, I synthesized my findings and created my own definition of the term. My definition is as follows:

Slow fashion is a movement fostering change in the fashion industry towards greater ecological integrity and social good. It is a multi-faceted topic, but broken down to its most basic form means considering the following pillars: 1. Empathetic design + making  2. Ethical practices of recycling and consideration for waste  3. Garment care 4. Putting a wedge in fast fashion and ending mass consumption and 5. Consideration for sustainable materials and resources.

I used this definition as a ground to (learn to) make 5 different garments (each with one pillar in mind) and used activity theory to drive book design, a brand identity, and various thought exercises to support the concept. 

These quick postcards were an exercise in synthesizing my research and breaking down my thoughts. Each could use more type refinement, but they were simply meant as an exercise in processing my research. 

The brand I created for my clothing was a final step in my thesis project. It was a fairly quick exercise and if I had more time, I would have focused on more iterations of logo, wordmark, and language. 

Regardless of any time constraint and of my focus elsewhere in the thesis project, I am confident that this brand represents its values. Sustain is a slow fashion brand that values integrity and sustainability over all. It is the embodiment of building blocks for a better planet. 

The making of the garments was my favorite part of this project overall. It’s endlessly exciting to me to learn and practice a new medium, and making clothes was exactly that. I began by constructing 5 garments (all with sustainable fibers, some even second hand from other slow fashion designers), and finished by making a 6th garment which I designed and drafted myself using fabric scraps from the other 5 garments. 

This collection of garments not only represents my research on sustainable fashion, but it also represents my experience learning and making with activity theory as ground to understand any design that followed. 

The book (printed via Newspaperclub and hand cut + stitched with fishing wire) explains the process of the project, from research to completion. Because of COVID-19, I did not have the studio resources to cut and trim the edges of the book on a guillotine. 

This project was featured in Newspaperclub’s July 2020 “Print Roundup.”