Old Clothes Make New Art
Is fashion no longer fashionable? Well, that may be so. Fashion waste has become one of the unintended consequences of that which we call ‘fast fashion’. So while the fashion industry tries to become more sustainable, celebrities like Jane Fonda are rewearing their old clothes in favor of buying new.
ArtsWestchester turns its lens on fashion waste with a monumental work of art by textile artist Amanda Browder. She has been recycling fabrics into contemporary art for more than 14 years. Her first fabric sculpture, Rapunzel, was made with donated fabric. She threw it out the window of her Chicago apartment and has been recycling second-hand vintage fabrics ever since – both for her own wardrobe and for her one-of-a-kind, large-scale fabric art installations.
Currently, Browder is working with ArtsWestchester to collect nearly 10,000 square feet of locally-sourced discarded fabrics donated by people in the Westchester community, as well as companies like Pantone. They will be recycled into a huge fabric sculpture titled Metropolis Sunrise, which is being stitched by hundreds of volunteers at some 30 sewing days throughout the County. The sculpture will transform the exterior of ArtsWestchester’s historic building into a work of contemporary art.
ArtsWestchester CEO Janet Langsam explains: “We were attracted to Amanda’s artistic process in reinventing textiles into spectacular site-specific works of art. It resonated with us because our own building has been reinvented from a former bank to an arts incubator that features artist studios and a gallery in which the original bank vault still stands.”
Fabric waste is a global environmental challenge. According to a 2017 report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 87 percent of material used for clothing production is landfilled or incinerated after its final use. Andrew Morgan, in his 2015 documentary The True Cost, reveals the garment industry’s environmental impact in economies around the world where low wages persist. The film also states that the average American wastes 82 pounds of textiles a year.
Browder explains: “As an artist, knowing that fabric waste is one of the largest contributors to landfills, I felt it was my responsibility to ensure my work does not contribute to an overproduction of textiles.” She continues, “fast fashion and the marketing around it has eliminated the desire and need to sew at home, and with it the understanding of the importance of a well-made garment. A textile’s life span doesn’t have to end with the item it once was. It can be turned into another beautiful object and maintain its true longevity.”
At a recent community sewing day at the India Center of Westchester, Soma Vayipayee hoped that her eight-year-old daughter’s newly learned sewing skills would inspire her too, to recycle her own clothes. A version of this article first appeared in the March issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.
