SHIBARI
2019
6 bundles of cloth scraps
each 10×40×30 cm,stacked on wooden base
60×40×30 cm
The work Shibari reflects the various aspects of fast fashion and consists of blocks of discarded clothing. By means of its presentation on a pedestal, the object almost acquires a certain grace, which is in clear dissonance with the context of fast fashion. The name Shibari, in turn, refers to a traditional Japanese bondage technique, i.e. an erotic art of tying up. The sight of twisted and artfully interwoven rope is appealing to many people and has found its way into the visual arts and architecture for thousands of years. The almost fashion garments held together with this tethering technique thus appear nobly presented and take on the aspect of something charming, just as the consumer goods of the clothing industry always strive to encourage our desire to buy and are usually successful in doing so.
Fast fashion brands produce new trends at ever closer intervals. These are mostly cheap copies of designer fashion that consumers buy en masse and throw away again after a very short time. However, this fast business is also associated with risks and side effects. Huge amounts of raw materials are taken from nature, and the environment and human health are damaged in the process. Moreover, the production of fast fashion often takes place under inhumane conditions.
Global textile production has more than doubled since 2000. In 2014, more than 100 billion garments were produced for the first time. Without polyester, this rapid growth would not be possible. The synthetic fibre is extremely cheap and easy to produce, but polyester poses a major threat to the environment and health: Synthetic microfibres, for example from fleece clothing, dissolve in the washing machine and end up in rivers and oceans, returning to us humans as part of the cycle. The way clothes are made, used and disposed of needs a fundamental correction and also new business models. Fashion brands would have to produce higher quality clothes that are durable, repairable, wearable by more people and in the end fully recyclable. The simplest step in a healthy clothing cycle would be to wear the products longer. Just extending the life of our clothes from one to two years would reduce CO2 emissions by 24 per cent.
Text: Nadja Borer
Exhibition view:
SHIBARI
2019
6 bundles of cloth scraps
each 10×40×30 cm,stacked on wooden base
60×40×30 cm
The work Shibari reflects the various aspects of fast fashion and consists of blocks of discarded clothing. By means of its presentation on a pedestal, the object almost acquires a certain grace, which is in clear dissonance with the context of fast fashion. The name Shibari, in turn, refers to a traditional Japanese bondage technique, i.e. an erotic art of tying up. The sight of twisted and artfully interwoven rope is appealing to many people and has found its way into the visual arts and architecture for thousands of years. The almost fashion garments held together with this tethering technique thus appear nobly presented and take on the aspect of something charming, just as the consumer goods of the clothing industry always strive to encourage our desire to buy and are usually successful in doing so.
Fast fashion brands produce new trends at ever closer intervals. These are mostly cheap copies of designer fashion that consumers buy en masse and throw away again after a very short time. However, this fast business is also associated with risks and side effects. Huge amounts of raw materials are taken from nature, and the environment and human health are damaged in the process. Moreover, the production of fast fashion often takes place under inhumane conditions.
Global textile production has more than doubled since 2000. In 2014, more than 100 billion garments were produced for the first time. Without polyester, this rapid growth would not be possible. The synthetic fibre is extremely cheap and easy to produce, but polyester poses a major threat to the environment and health: Synthetic microfibres, for example from fleece clothing, dissolve in the washing machine and end up in rivers and oceans, returning to us humans as part of the cycle. The way clothes are made, used and disposed of needs a fundamental correction and also new business models. Fashion brands would have to produce higher quality clothes that are durable, repairable, wearable by more people and in the end fully recyclable. The simplest step in a healthy clothing cycle would be to wear the products longer. Just extending the life of our clothes from one to two years would reduce CO2 emissions by 24 per cent.
Text: Nadja Borer
Exhibition view: