This work critically examines the fashion industry and consumerism.
At the expense of the environment and the workers of the Global South, the constantly unsaturated consume machinery of the industrialized nations thrives…
This work critically examines the fashion industry.
At the expense of the environment and the workers of the Global South, the constantly unsaturated consume machinery of the industrialized nations thrives. Despite the activists‘ commitment, it is not obvious where and how the clothes are really produced. The only clue and at the same time serving as a certificate are the clothing labels. More over they determine the immaterial value of the textile piece, because they confirm the quality of the brand through its authenticity on the primary and secondary market, regardless of the actual quality of the materials used. Thus, a brand is not only responsible for destructive conditions in production, but also for destructive conditions in social interaction, through brand affiliations, economic class affiliations, clothing size affiliations and generates greed, shame and envy.
Over a long period of time, I have liberated my friends‘, family‘s, and my own wardrobes from label tags, washing instruction tags, and clothing size tags. By liberating the label, the textile piece gains original value, beyond the brand. The collected labels are sorted and sewn into overall patchworks. In quantity, the brand loses meaning and is aligned among other brands. Five wearable pieces were presented during my first fashion show „Cosmos Först“ in Hannover, 2019.
In order to address the tops of the industry, it is necessary to deal with the conservative capitalist uniform: the men’s suit. The only piece of men’s suit ansemble, that can be colorful and playful on almost any occasion is the tie. The tie encloses the neck decoratively like a jewelry necklace but also tightly like a slave necklace.
