During the lockdown, thousands of people started making their own clothes for the first time-a movement derived from creativity and conscious consumption
Last modified on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 06.17 EDT
My foot hovered nervously on the sewing machine pedal. I am carefully using my own sewing kit produced by Pattern Project, a "microfactory" start-up company in South London. It pioneered a laser cutting machine that can cut patterns on demand, minimizing waste. The part of the drop-sleeve dress I am sewing has been cut to my exact size by a lively little laser. It whizzes across the crisp Irish linen, and the faint seams of the searing heat lead to the fabric, so I accurately Know where to sew.
The founders of the Pattern Project, 34-year-old Shruti Grover and 35-year-old Simon Johnson-life and business partners-are seeking funding for their first store. Grover said that the "22th Century" fashion vision, it will not hold any inventory, but will sell custom clothing, these clothing will be laser cut in front of you within a few minutes, using local, ethical and sustainable The fabric is made, and then sewn by you.
They have collaborated on a zero-waste model for the latest collection of fashion designer Phoebe English, and they exhibited at the V&A in West London last weekend as part of the London Design Festival.
The Pattern Project is at the forefront of the renaissance of homemade clothing, but it is not the only company that promotes home-made fashion. The catalyst is Covid. Michael Jones of Merchant & Mills said: "During the lockdown, we completed six weeks of sales in one day." The company sells anything you might need—patterns, fabrics, tools, and online tutorials—to sew Own clothes. Even now, 18 months later, sales are still 50% higher than before the pandemic.
Getting rid of its "mummy" and amateur image, the Self-Sew (SIY) movement has become more modern, more sustainable and social. First, the sewer has been renamed "Sewer"-because who wants to be mistaken for a sewer? In addition, due to the new wave of independent patternmakers, it is not difficult to find popular designs, which can be downloaded in pdf format anywhere in the world.
Leila d'Angelo, a 34-year-old insurance broker, said: “When I tell people that I make my own clothes, they look at me like this:'Oh, you poor thing.' The second time British blockade. "Then I came in in a tight dress and they were like:'Excuse me, what? That is not what I expected. '"
According to Jones, the new customers are "young, mainly women, opposed to fast fashion and more concerned about environmental issues." Many people are motivated to sew because it allows them to avoid sweatshop production. “A lot of people know that cutting and sewing are where exploitation happens,” said Lydia Morrow, a 25-year-old Glasgow sewing influencer, who shared a micro-tutorial on Instagram Stories. "I can cut it out now."
Novice sewing masters can also get a lot of support. The Fashion District Festival is a five-day celebration of sustainable fashion held in Stratford, East London last week. One-third of this year’s plan is used for manufacturer seminars, including the The scarf is upgraded to a kimono tutorial garbage factory. "People are keen to participate in their own fashion events," said Helen Lax, the founder of the festival. "This is another incarnation of a good life. The maker community is not just following a pattern, but getting off the grid and trying it out. It's about being able to control your style."
For many sewing workers, masks are an entry medicine. After Lydia Higginson, the founder of Made My Wardrobe sewing kit, discovered that a homeless charity had collected 500 cloth masks, she summoned her followers to help. "This is a quick victory-the perfect little challenge to get people back on their machines," she said. "Then they were like:'What else can I do?'"
A new generation of mail-order sewing kits-with patterns, sustainable fabrics, and a promise of clean conscience-serve as an outstretched hand, waiting to guide the new-born seamstress through the daunting garment-making process. Made My Wardrobe has sold 20,000 overalls (from £58) and patterns (£12.50) since its launch two years ago. It also offers underwear, costume pants and swimwear sets, using recycled denim and recycled fishing line (UK size) ) 6 to 24). If you encounter difficulties, Made My Wardrobe and Pattern Project provides a "sewing" video tutorial.
Although you can only find organic fabrics from the UK and Europe in the Pattern Project (and an Italian polyamide that they claim to be biodegradable about five years after disposal), the bigger fashion problem it wants to solve is overstocking . It is estimated that 20% of the 100 billion garments produced each year are not sold; then they are usually buried, shredded or burned. "Brands are always over-ordering," Grover said. "Compared with producing less but higher quality things, it is cheaper to produce more and sell them at crazy discounts." The ultimate goal of Pattern Project is to see its zero-waste laser in fashion stores and haberdashery across the country. Clothes can be cut and sewn as needed, and the price is affordable and fast.
At the same time, sewing masters are playing with what they call "Tetris pattern-making the pattern fit a smaller amount of fabric," said Atia Azmi, a 38-year-old general practitioner who is the host of un:CUT: The Makers' Podcast . According to the government's "Fixing Fashion" report in 2019, "As many as 15% of fabrics will eventually flow to the floor of the cutting room... Hundreds of thousands of tons of fabrics are wasted in the design and production stages before the garment reaches the customer." In the sewing community, downloadable zero-waste patterns have gone viral on the Internet.
Reducing the “fashion mileage”—the spread of clothing and its parts in the supply chain—is also on the sewing workers' agenda. Its co-founder, Joss Whipple, stated that the newly opened Mend Assembly in Totnes, Devon, is a two-story center that provides manufacturer space, garment workshops, repairs and upgrades. The starting point of the transformation is "clothing localization".
In addition to using the “existing waste stream” (such as upgrading old sweatshirts to children’s leggings), Mend Assembly also hopes to cooperate with the non-profit organization Fibershed’s recycling “farm to clothing” concept to meet local demand for clothing. Local natural fibers are used in the closed loop to satisfy. "We believe that when clothing is aligned with local practices, many problematic elements in the global business model will disappear, from reducing carbon emissions and transportation to deeper connections, respect and care for the clothes we own and wear," Mend said Conference website.
This connection is tangible to the people in the maker community. d'Angelo said: "When you wear something you made yourself, you won't be unaware of it for a second." "Every time I look down, I remember the mistakes I made and what I saved The way it is, I am full of pride. This is the ultimate goal of conscious consumption."
My Pattern Project dress takes four hours to sew, although professionals can finish it in an hour. This experience gave me a new understanding of the skilled sewing craftsmanship of millions of unthankful garment workers all over the world. "The more you make for yourself, the more you realize the time and effort it takes to make things — and how cheap things are on the street compared to the time it takes," Azmi said. "Because of the cost, people's attention to fashion has decreased."
For d'Angelo, who calls himself "a mile per minute", sewing is "the only way I can slow down and give my body a relaxing space". Moreau made half of the outfits she owns, and she said: “It feels so powerful to make your own extension from scratch.” For Azmi, it's about the morale boost that a perfect fit brings. "I am 5 feet 2 inches [1.57 meters], so usually the clothes are too long or the shoulders are not suitable. Now, I can tailor them exactly to my needs, or match them with a turban, or make longer sleeves. Dang When something fits, I feel more confident."
To get involved, d'Angelo recommends following the Instagram hashtags #sewfrosting, #indiepatterns and #tntpatterns. You will find that each month’s challenge revolves around a loose theme, but the ultimate challenge is to sew your entire wardrobe. This summer, d'Angelo worked hard to make the ratio of handmade clothes to purchased clothes reach 80:20, and challenged himself to make a 15-piece holiday wardrobe. Sewing until the last second, she said that she felt like "a capable person in a world out of control". The past shopping spree has been replaced by research trips; instead of asking: "Should I buy this?" She now asks: "Can I do it?" She said, "If I don't plan to spend five hours making it, Do I really want it?"
I wore a perfectly fitting dress and strode out of the Pattern Project studio. The color of the dress was exactly what I wanted. The kit sells for £60. I found myself thinking: "What do I do next?"