Something that has been a growing focus in recent years has been resurgence of hand-made objects. While in post-war period, we had drifted from individuality to mass-production, there is a growing interest in pieces that are either made in smaller runs or even individual pieces. In some ways, such items are more human, reflecting the individuality of each of us, and producing pieces that we incorporate deeply into our lives. We all have favourite items; things which we have owned for many years, which are almost merged with us.
These sentiments often apply to clothes, sometimes even more so, as they become part of our presentation – the visual definition of who we are. The growth in demand for vintage clothing, and the individuality that those pieces impart, is reflective of this desire to regain our own identity, rather than become copies of each other.
While the benefit of vintage pieces is that they have lasted, what about the future? Will there be modern pieces to fulfil that same desire in future generations. Organic, hand-made clothing is the very definition of slow fashion. There is no rushing the process, from the selection of the raw materials, trough to the last hand-finished detail.
Nicholas Harlow