The Life of a Dress, Mexico
2013 (English)Conference paper, Published paper (Other academic)
Sustainable development
The content falls within the scope of Sustainable Development
Abstract [en]
This paper is a summary of a field study made in Mexico during six weeks in October/November 2012. The concept, process and findings from a practical project "The Life of a Dress", containing a participatory design workshop given at a cultural center in Mexico City are presented together with an overview of five Mexican design and slow fashion brands.
The brands presented are in different ways exploring alternative product development processes of producing and communicating design, identity and heritage through combining new design thinking with traditional handicraft manufacturing. The handicraft industry is a vital part of the Mexican economy and for many families in rural villages it is the main source of income. New products are developed in collaboration with craftsmen and respect are given to the time it takes to make the materials and products which are being made in close relation to nature.
The action research project "The Life of a Dress" is a traveling exhibition presenting a concept of revival of second-hand clothes through visual installations and hands-on workshops adding value to discarded clothes. The group of students which followed the workshop in Mexico City in 2012 created a collection of 50 dresses which were all labeled with a common brand "Hecho en Faro", collaboratively created in the premises of production. The project "The Life of a Dress" has been ongoing since 2009 and has so far been taking place in four different continents (Sweden, Hong Kong, Mozambique and Mexico). The aim of the project is to explore how design, traditional handicraft and waste clothing might be tools for capacity building and/or business development, on a local as well as global level.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2013.
Keywords [en]
sustainable design, Participatory design, Mexico, Action research, exhibition, experimental workshop training, prototyping techniques, sustainable fashion, Textile management, Economic and business, Up-cycling, Waste management, Textile Management, Waste Management, Sustainable Fashion
National Category
Humanities Engineering and Technology
Research subject
Resource Recovery; Textiles and Fashion (General)
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-7162Local ID: 2320/13347OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hb-7162DiVA, id: diva2:887870
Conference
2nd International Non-Western Fashion Conference Constructing National Identity Through Fashion
London College of Fashion, UK 21-22 November 2013
Note
Sponsorship:
Swedish Embassy, Swedish School of Textiles
2015-12-222015-12-22