Coat of Theseus

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Background: This project considers the mass-production of fashion apparel products. Taking into account research from Reader in Textile Design at UAL Dr. Kate Goldsworthy and her work on designing for better garment lifecycles, as well as her work with paper garments, this project considers the lifecycles of fashion items and proposes a speculative alternative. The techniques applied in this project are derived from extensive fieldwork with craftspeople in Japan, as well as the contextual and historical research of Fukai (2007), Omura (1999, 1997), and Katakura (1988).

Contribution: The Coat of Theseus project asks where and when the value in a garment is produced? Is it located in the materials, or in the branding? As a garment ages, changes, is repaired and parts of it replaced, does it increase or decrease in value? Can we design a garment for a hundred years? In collaboration with Jake Nakashima-Edwards, 2 Japanese paper coats were made using traditional techniques. The coats were each labelled ‘new’ and ‘100 year old coat’, and were intended to show that a garment could be regenerated, its parts replaced or mended over time, rather than disposing of it and buying a new one. Swatches of paper were also presented in the exhibition.

Significance: This is significant in that it contributes to the understudied field of paper as a possible material for fashion, and that it speculates about alternative systems of garment use and disposal. This work was exhibited alongside other speculative design propositions in an exhibition at the Melbourne School of Design. The exhibition has continued, and we are now developing the work into a new phase of production with an intake of orders, including from one of the curators of the exhibition. A catalogue (ISBN 978-0-7340-5504-9) has been produced with images and an essay demonstrating the work. The exhibition is also part of MSD's virtual collection and available for viewing via online virtual tour.