From Drag to Riches

Julian Smith

At least 15% of fabric is wasted during garment production processes, generating hundreds of thousands of tonnes of pre-consumer waste globally each year. Last year, in my studio, I made around 25 costume pieces and estimate that I have produced around 1.25 kg of scraps and off cuts during that period.

This research offers a practice-based exploration of the possibilities for contemporary fashion clothing made from the reappropriation of costume fabric waste. The work represents a reimagining of waste fabrics that are frequently dismissed as gaudy and brash, translating them into everyday clothing that ‘elevates’, adds value, and promotes aesthetic and emotional durability. My research applies reflexive craft-thinking to practical solution-finding, working in response to the affordances offered by the materials, in a process of sense-making with limited and specific resources

Drawing on my professional experience in costume making, most notably for drag artists, and founded on my childhood passion for glitz, glamour and occasion wear - fuelled by Top of the Pops and Dynasty in the 1980s - I have patchworked strips of black fabric off-cuts to create a base casual jacket shape and applied woven trims of scraps in panels. The fabrics repurposed from costume to fashion include sequinned fabric, tissue lamé, metallic vinyl, faux leather and tulle. Outcomes to date from this ongoing research demonstrate their potential in contemporary fashion.  

Instagram handle:

@j.smithstudio