Clothes lead rather mysterious lives. They are produces by the billion and discarded almost as fast. A curious predicament arises - where do all these garments go? Too Many Clothes is a project that physically and theoretically grapples with this predicament. Physically, each piece attempts to use as many second-hand clothes as possible. For example, the shoe soles are made from a starched business shirt, and the rest of the boot uses t-shirts and rags that have been cut into yarn and crocheted. The collection also features bulbous papier-mache vessels. These have been constructed from scrap paper, fabric scraps and plaster. The vessels have the capacity to hold even more clothes. The large shapes, and weighty compacted materials mirror the literal physical challenges we face with overproduction in the clothing industry; awkward to transport, difficult to store, heavy to wear. The vessels are also intended for performance. The wearer can fill and empty the paper-mache containers, an unsettling process to witness. Bulging, stuffed, and swollen, the witnesses are asked to reflect on the stagnating and wounding effects of consumer culture.
Yet, this project is a paradox (to make a collection of clothes with the statement 'Too Many Clothes). As a result, I adopt a multi-disciplinary approach to fashion. Thinking about space and matter, the garments are not only designed to be worn, but also present as ornament, and sculpture. This is because clothes spend more time 'dressing' the spaces around them than human bodies. In other words, garments are more often an object within a space then a 'second skin'. Too Many Clothes celebrates this overlooked context for clothes. The garments displayed here cannot be tucked away in a wardrobe or stuffed into a chest of drawers. They cannot sit limp and lifeless on the floor, nor will they survive the outdoors if they were to litter the streets. This collection asks us to see garments in a new way. As not only the things that cover our bodies, but, as materials displaced from their origin, and processed into garments that clothe our environment. - Too many.
About Aviva
Aviva contemplates societal structures, with the aspirations of improving the world, environmentally and socially. As a result, her designs optimistically explore alternative systems for society. Her hand-crafted work incorporates slow techniques that take weeks to make. For Aviva, these slow processes express how she wishes the world could be - a place, where matter, matters. In essence, Aviva's work is about taking matters into her own hands.
Name / Brand - Aviva
Social Media - @__aviva____
