Brief
Design and make a garment for surviving social breakdown.
Team-mates
Jumleena Bhagawati, Reagan Samuel Bbengo, Marty Chen, Lingjia Fang
Date
16/01/23 - 20/01/23
Guest Lecturer
Clare Farrell (Fashion designer, activist, and co-founder of Extinction Rebellion. )
Welcome to Collaborative unit 1: Survival of the Outfit.
For this brief we used tangible materials, including digital ones, to design and make a garment. The purpose of the design is to bring people together and build community resilience. There is a long history in fashion design of rapid adaptation and the exchange of ideas between the utilitarian and the decorative.
We were encouraged to explore utility wear, traditions of sharing and co-producing, and responses in fashion to social change and disturbance.
- Timeline -
There were 5 stages in our overall design process which we overcame to complete this brief.
The five stages are represented below in the timeline.
- Research -
The general concept that we were interested in was " unity and equality" especially when it came to migrants. Discrimination is a difficult reality that many migrants face due to factors such as ethnicity, nationality, religion, language, or accent.
The impacts of discrimination can be far-reaching, and researchers have taken a particular interest in how it affects the labor and housing markets. But discrimination can occur in any domain, and experiencing it can affect people's objective chances in life, as well as their sense of belonging, well-being, and mental health. Studies have shown that people who feel discriminated against are less likely to thrive and flourish, and their quality of life suffers as a result. Researchers Safi (2010), Nandi et al. (2020), and Schmitt et al. (2014) have all investigated the links between discrimination and mental health, with their findings suggesting that it can lead to depression, anxiety, and other related conditions. Discrimination is not only an issue for migrants but also for society as a whole, and it is up to all of us to address it and create a more inclusive and welcoming world. We wanted to base our concept on an actual protest which I happened to witness, that took place not that long ago in the state of Assam, India.
Back-story of the protest that influenced our concept:
In 2019, the Indian government passed the Citizenship Amendment Act, leading to protests across the country and beyond [The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 ]. The act amends the citizenship law to accept illegal migrants from specific religions and countries, leading to concerns about the impact on demographics and culture. Protests were particularly strong in northeastern states where residents fear losing political rights, culture, and land. They also worry that it will encourage more migration from Bangladesh and violate a prior agreement with the central government.
"Protesters have expressed fears that the prospect of citizenship will encourage migration from Bangladesh. They have cited several grounds for opposing this. Demography: This will change across Northeastern states, protesters say, as has already been happening in Assam and Tripura over decades of migration (see graphs). "Assamese could become the second language. Then there is also the question of loss of political rights and culture of the indigenous people," said former Chief Minister Prafulla Mahanta, who was the face of the Assam Movement (1979–85) against illegal immigration, and one of the signatories to the Assam Accord at the culmination of the movement. (...) Protesters say the Bill goes against the Assam Accord and negates the ongoing update of the National Register of Citizens (NRC)." (Saha, Abhishek, 2019)
The conflict in Assam regarding immigration stems from concerns about the indigenous population being marginalized in their own homeland due to both legal and illegal immigration. Bangladesh's high population density and shrinking living space, caused by natural disasters and global warming, make Assam an attractive destination for impoverished masses leading to the indigenous-immigrant conflict therein. Historian H.K. Barpujari noted this environmental dimension over a decade ago, predicting that immigration would be inevitable due to pressure on land and a stagnant economy in Bangladesh(Barpujari,). This has led to conflict between indigenous and immigrant populations in the region, which could worsen as a result of climate refugees(Swaini, ).
The immigration issue in Assam is a very delicate and complex one. On the one hand, there is this large number of the destitute population who in search of a relatively better life is outpouring land which, on the other hand, is inhabited by much smaller ethnic groups genuinely apprehensive of losing their own identities. For our concept, we tried to reimagine the two land where there was mutual understanding and empathy from both sides among the people. We wanted to showcase the relationship between the migrants and the indigenous people is symbiotic and that understanding is the key.
- Brainstorming and idea generation -
Warmup Exercise
We started our week with an exercise where we rapidly cut patterns to create a quick design for our group concept in 45 minutes. For our group, this session ended up being more of a quick practice session for the skills that might come in handy during the week such as garment sketching, pattern cutting, taking body measurements, and hand stitching.
At this early stage, as we had not finalized a concept yet, we realized we needed some time to research, regroup and come up with a direction for our outfit design.
Deliberating ideas
We went into the rapid prototyping round without much research or clarity of a concept taht we wanted to build our outfit on. However, after our research, we realized the common recurring theme that we were interested in was "Equality".
We started out by sketching out a few designs on paper. Then we physicalized our concept to get a better understanding of how it would work and if it would be successful in delivering the message we want to deliver when the outfit is on the runway.
Photo credit: Marty
Our initial concept included a design where the outfit would be shared between 3 individuals and the whole garment will be a balancing act where if one person cannot keep the balance the whole outfit will come apart. Writing about it now seems to me like it was in fact a very Cool idea! However, at that point, we were unanimous in the opinion that although it would make a really nice idea for a different concept, maybe it will not as well relate to ours.
Sketching out the final concept
For our final outfit design, we took inspiration from the game three-legged race where two people have each of their adjacent legs tied up and they have to hold each other to race against other pairs.
This design we believe spoke to our concept the most. Through our design, we wanted to cherish the love and understanding between two people coming from two different lands and help people realize that boundaries are man-made and that this earth has plenty for everyone if we decide to share. Every relationship is and can be a symbiotic relationship, that can benefit everyone including the earth if we are understanding enough: this was the message that we wanted to deliver through our design.
- Design Process -
Shopping for materials
To start with, we trailed down the lanes of East street market on the most exciting hunt for affordable fabrics that we could use for our outfit. We successfully completed our mission as we bargained our way out of the shops with exactly what we wanted.
Working on the Design
The outfit had 4 parts in total: the interconnected body piece, the connected pants, the immigrant's side of the outfit, and the local's side of the outfit. The construction of all the parts wasto done separately and later the elements were put on the two models to execute the whole look successfully.
Making the interconnected body piece:
The first part of the outfit or the base was made with a very elastic stretchy fabric that already came rolled like a giant sock. We were lucky to find a material such as this as the construction of the base then became very simple. We cut out two holes for the neck and a single opening for hands-on on either side. The garment was made in a way such as two people shared the same space on the torso region, and they have to both stand with their arms around the shoulder as there was only a single opening for their hands-on either side.
Making the connected pants:
Luck struck us again in the East Street Market as we found two very interesting-looking pants of similar color and texture that would go perfectly with our concept. We cut out the seams on the adjacent legs of the pair from the knee down and hemmed them together. This part closely resembles how two legs near the ankle on either side would be tired during a three-legged race.
Making the immigrant's side of the outfit:
We wanted to make this part of the outfit personal to the "immigrant". We wanted it to represent the bare minimum people end up valuing while running away and seeking to refuse another country.
On the mesh fabric, we added small sentimental items, illegal travel documents, pictures of family, and letters of loved ones.
Making the local's side of the outfit:
We wanted to make the "local's" side of the outfit represent materialism and abundance and be a stark contrast to the personal touch that the "immigrant's" side had.
Challenge
The process of making the garment was particularly challenging as none of us had prior knowledge of sewing however the process of learning a little bit about outfit-making from each other was fun and we developed a few skills really well, which will come in handy in the future for sure. Our biggest challenge came while we were trying to sew the pants together. Our classmate and friend Yanxu came to our rescue and taught us how to sew on the machine as well as helped me overcome my fear of it.
Pre-presentation prep
We decided to print out a small introduction of our design concept and hand it out to the audience for easier communication and a better understanding of our idea. We also playfully decided to come up with a label for our outfit design, "NOMAD Couture" (an unconventional label that works to fight against immigrant injustice by creating stand-alone activism concept outfits to spread awareness about equality).
- Presentation-
For our runway show, we decided to play a clip of the song "Snow Crystal" by Babalos which had an insert of Charlie Chaplin's most famous speech from the great Dictator which goes
"I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone - if possible - Jew, Gentile - black man - white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness - not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way.
Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has barricaded the world with hate, has goose-stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost…"
- Evaluation & Feedback -
After the runway show, our prototype was presented by our classmates. The concept for our prototype was very well received. However, there were a few drawbacks to it as well.
After seeing the demonstration the class came up with the following insights on our design: 1. The garment could have used one more day's work. 2. The music selection was great 3. It was a moment that sparked a sense of emotion and connection which the audience.
4. The fact that we were using cards to give context to our concept was a well-thought-out move.
- Reflection -
This week of the collaborative unit for me has been a great learning experience. I have always wondered to myself what would it be like to work in a fast-paced job in the fashion industry as a designer and this to me felt like living in my fantasy land where I was an actual designer in a team of designers working for the next biggest runway show coming up in a week!
This brief helped me to accumulate a lot of real-life skills that otherwise I would not have picked up, along with expanding my horizons to newer ways of creating an experience through modes of design. Through-out our briefs and this one, in particular, made me realize that an experience does not have to be something you do like a task or something you can touch like an object. It could be something that engages every sense or it could be a mere feeling. An experience could be an event that invokes a response in the presence of what is to be experienced. However real skill lies in communicating an idea perfectly in order to invoke the desired response from the people experiencing it.
- Reference-
Barpujari, North East India: Problems, Policies and Prospects, 122.
Nandi, A., Luthra, R. and Benzeval, M. (2020). When does hate hurt the most? Generational differences in the association between ethnic and racial harassment, ethnic attachment, and mental health. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 43(16), 327-347.
Safi, M. (2009). Immigrants’ life satisfaction in Europe: Between assimilation and discrimination. European Sociological Review, 26(2), 159-176.
Saha, Abhishek (20 January 2019). "Explained: Why Assam, Northeast are angry". The Indian Express.
Schmitt, M. T., Branscombe, N. R., Postmes, T., & Garcia, A. (2014). The consequences of perceived discrimination for psychological well-being: A meta-analytic review. Psychological bulletin, 140(4), 921.
Swain, ‘Displacing the Conflict: Environmental Destruction in Bangladesh and Ethnic Conflict in India’.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (As passed by Lok Sabha), https://www.prsindia.org/sites/default/files/bill_files/Citizenship%20%28A%29%20Bill%2C%202019%20as%20passed%20by%20LS.pdf.
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