Evolution/Revolution

There is an exhibition on at the Rhode Island School of Design in the US called Evolution/Revolution: the arts & crafts in contemporary fashion & textiles till June 15th. 

Inspired by William Morris's ideas and the Arts & Crafts Movement in the 19th century, it looks at textile and fashion designers who, using new technologies as well as traditional methods, are redefining what 'handmade' means. 

One of the exhibitors is a great project called A-Z Smockshop set up by NY artist Andrea Zittel. Zittel has gathered a group of 'collaborators' from all walks of life who design or adapt a basic smock dress. They are all one-off, unique pieces made by 'ordinary' people. 

Interestingly, the smock was adopted by followers of William Morris as their 'uniform', a sort of protest against mass production and a symbol of the simple life which Morris was promoting.

  

I shop therefore I am

I was recently asked to write a piece (based on one of my blog entries) for Unleashed, an opinion website on ABC in Australia. Called 'Sewing 2.0', it was about the rise of DIY fashion on the web and the reaction against the rising tide of clothing consumption.

I have also recently come across several other reports and coverage on our over-consuming habits:

The guys at ethical branding consultancy Better Thinking have themed the latest edition of their online magazine on 'intelligent consumption'.

Also, the David Report, a trends forecasting site from Sweden, have just published a report called 'I shop therefore I am ' about the recent trend for a more thoughtful consumption, and they argue that the luxury of the future will be when we are able to "resist shopping and still be happy", or what I have termed 'beyond shopping'.