My main approach to this particular design was to work with how I’ve seen upcycling implemented in real life – ie. taking a part an old or second hand wool sweater and making a new one with it, etc. I chose to also incorporate ideas related to thrift (ie. mending/darning socks), as well as celebrating where our resources come from (ie. trees). Overall I wanted the aesthetic to be more polished, as upcycling itself is about making something that is of higher value. I liked the idea of juxtaposing this aesthetic with more “ragged” elements, like old socks.

in progress sketches:

I’ve been reading Future Fashion: White Papers which is a book I highly recommend!  it has been so inspiring and has really given me the ability to embrace fashion,  while leaving behind the part that I don’t love so much (the polluting side).  I’ve learned so much about process and it has filled in a lot of the “unknowns” I have about materials.

All papers are equally brilliant, but one in particular inspired me to play with some more type.  John Patrick, of Organic had mentioned that when he began his business, he started with the mantras, “Make Less, Better & Slowly” , which really resonated with me.  I’m all for making – but the thought of making “less” really hit home – to make a knitted sweater that takes months to create just one, over buying one for about 50 bucks from the mall.

In a society that is revolving around living & moving faster, it’s totally contradictory to slow down and actually do less. But it makes perfect sense!  We’re so inflated in terms of what we own, and what piles up in our house, it really seems appropriate to simplify.

So, i decided to hand draw the type (which isn’t really new for me), but use my old school iBook (c. 2006), which was much slower than my beastly macbook pro – to assemble it all.   I went through having to delete files just so that I had enough free space, and applications ran a lot slower – and in earlier versions.  But to be honest, it was great!  and seemed really appropriate for the affirmation.  So, I took some screenshots of my process and decided to share them with you!  (Let’s just hope my computer doesn’t crash while I upload this!) Cheers!

In Progress:

“[...]What you need to know is, love exists here [...] If you let the city give, and nurture you, you have a responsibility to give back.”  amen.