Words and Photos from Devon O. & Owen S.
We began our day at derby, eager to meet with our cohort once again. We started by watching videos covering the destruction of the fast fashion industry and the damage it causes the environment. Following the videos, we had a discussion on sustainability. We learned ways we can repurpose and reuse our old clothing, rather than throwing it out. The main method we learned today was called Sashiko, which is a decorative form of repairing holes or rips in clothing by embroidering. We practiced this skill all morning on scrap fabric, mending the distressed pieces. We also reworked old tee shirts by cutting long, thin strips of the fabric, and then weaving them into friendship bracelets! Soon enough, it was lunchtime and we took a break to enjoy a meal with friends.
In the afternoon, we welcomed Caitlin French, an artist based out of East Vancouver who came to give us a workshop on natural dyes. We learned about the origins of many natural dyes, and how popular colours such as purple and red came from Central America. After passing out samples of five different, vibrant colours, Caitlin discussed what natural materials were used and the complicated process to create such colours. We extended our conversation on the fashion industry and sustainability, discussing the importance of taking care of the land when cultivating natural dye materials. Caitlin showed us how she dyed pieces of wool with marigold flower. We learned that rusted metal “saddens” (a dye term for darkening a colour) the yellow fabric to a green. Towards the end of the day, we went outside derby and looked on the ground for pieces of rusted metal that we could use to make prints on the pieces of fabric Caitlin had left with us. In our next meeting, we will certainly use those pieces of metal to create original prints. We had an incredible and educational day, setting us up for our own future endeavours in natural dyeing, and helping us to think of methods we will be able to use in our own fashion designs at the end of the year.