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2010
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Black Tie International:
The
Museum at FIT; Eco-Fashion: Going Green |
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Photos
by Eileen Costa, courtesy of The
Museum at FIT, New York
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Eco-Fashion: Going Green
On
View at The Museum at FIT in New York
May
25 Through November 26, 2010
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The Museum at FIT
presents
Eco-Fashion: Going
Green,
an exhibition exploring
fashion’s relationship with the environment.
Generally, “eco-fashion” refers to the work of
designers who use, produce, and/or promote
sustainable, ethical, and environmentally-conscious
products. Although eco-fashion is one of
contemporary fashion’s most compelling practices,
fashion and the environment have had a longstanding,
multifaceted, and complex connection that is rarely
explored.
Featuring
more than 100 garments, accessories, and textiles
from the mid-18th century to the present,
Eco-Fashion: Going Green
will examine both positive and
negative environmental practices over the past two
centuries, providing historical context for today’s
eco-fashion movement. The exhibition will emphasize
how each stage of fashion production—from fiber to
finished garment—has environmental consequences. As
a counterpoint, the extensive range of contemporary
examples in the exhibition will showcase the
increasing commitment of both designers and
consumers to meet these environmental challenges, in
a conscious effort to minimize harmful impacts.
Eco-Fashion: Going Green
will begin with some of the finest
examples of sustainable fashion by current,
cutting-edge labels, including Edun, Bodkin, FIN,
and NOIR. The approaches these brands take to social
and environmental issues will act as lenses through
which the exhibition will view the historical
garments and their various effects on the
environment.
The earliest object on
display will be a silk brocade gown dated circa
1760. Eighteenth-century silk was painstakingly
woven on hand looms, making it costly and complex to
manufacture, and weavers were esteemed for their
artisanal skills. As a result, silk garments
incorporating handcraftsmanship were often cherished
for their beauty and quality.
Since garments with lasting value are integral to
today’s eco-fashion movement, this 18th-century
gown will act as a chronological starting point for
the exhibition.
The garments and
objects in
Eco-Fashion: Going Green will
reflect at least one of six major themes:
- The repurposing and recycling of materials
- Material origins
- Textile dyeing and production
- Quality of craftsmanship
- Labor practices
- The treatment of animals
The repurposing and
recycling of textiles is sometimes
considered the most innovative and responsible mode
of eco-fashion. Historically, this concept has taken
a number of forms. A dress dating circa 1840 was
remade from an exquisite yellow, striped silk from
the previous century. Although silks woven on
efficient, steam-powered looms proliferated in the
19th century, this dress emphasizes that older,
hand-woven fabrics remained valuable. A man’s suit
made in 1960 from the reverse side of a paisley
shawl will represent the continuation of repurposed
textiles in the twentieth century. Highlighting the
emphasis on recycling in the 1990s will be a Martin
Margiela jacket assembled from multiple silk
scarves, along with a Xuly-Bët dress that
incorporates worn sweaters and pantyhose. Also on
view will be a dress and jacket by Alabama Chanin, a
contemporary fashion label that combines the reuse
of materials and local production in its primarily
handcrafted garments.
Practices associated with
the growth and manufacture of fibers—
ranging from the use of pesticides to the
non-biodegradable qualities of many synthetics— have
some of fashion’s most environmentally destructive
consequences. Although cotton is often viewed as a
quintessentially “natural” fiber, its production
has, in fact, often been especially damaging. The
display of two dresses from circa 1820 will
emphasize that cotton growing during this time
drained soil of nutrients and depleted water
supplies— environmental concerns magnified by the
introduction of dangerous pesticides and chemical
fertilizers in the 20th century. As issues
pertaining to cotton production have increasingly
come to light in recent years, the availability of
organic cotton, grown without harmful pesticides or
other chemicals, has expanded dramatically. Today,
organic cotton is used to make everything from basic
T-shirts to the dramatic, one-of-a-kind evening gown
by the influential eco-label Edun, which will be on
view.
Also on display will be an acid green, silk dress
dating circa 1860, the color of which was most
likely achieved by using a dye that contained
arsenic. This dye presented serious health risks not
only to its maker, but to its wearer as well.
Furthermore, waste materials from
dyeing processes
have historically been one of the most conspicuous
forms of pollution. Some dyeing techniques, like the
discharge printing method employed in a charming
1950s day dress by Sophie of Saks, are especially
harmful to the environment, requiring that the
garment be piece-dyed and then bleached. Today,
there are a number of sustainable alternatives to
harmful dyeing practices. For instance, clothing on
display by Katie Brierley, designer for Isoude, uses
natural plant dyes and embraces the disappearing art
of traditional hand-dyeing.
Some eco-designers and fashion industry experts cite
quality craftsmanship,
convertibility, and uniqueness as key to the
creation of clothing with lasting value and
emotional connectivity — effectively reacting
against the “fast fashion” cycle.
Eco-Fashion: Going
Green will show that this point
of view has historical roots as well. For example, a
dress from circa 1889 by New York-based dressmaker
Mrs. M. A. O’Connell will exemplify the rising
significance of the “named designer” in contrast to
the increase of mass-produced clothing. The
importance of meticulously crafted, made-to-order
garments of the 1950s, a decade sometimes referred
to as the “Golden Age of Couture,” will be seen in a
cocktail dress by famed French designer Cristobal
Balenciaga. Also on view will be contemporary
clothing by Los Angeles-based designer Linda
Loudermilk, whose luxury eco™, couture-quality
garments are made primarily in the United States
from sustainable materials.
The health and
treatment of industry workers also
play a key role in the historical roots of
eco-fashion. In the United States, organizations
like the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union
(ILGWU) were established to ensure fair labor
practices in the early 20th century. The exhibition
will include a lavishly embellished evening dress
from circa 1941 made by the New York Dress
Institute, a successful partnership between local
manufacturers and the garment workers’ union during
World War II. Also on view will be work by
contemporary designer Yeohlee, who, in addition to
her efficient “no waste” cut and construction
techniques, campaigns to keep garment manufacturing
in New York, rather than shipping work overseas.
Even before the rise of
animal rights activist
groups, the use of fur, feathers, and animal skins
in fashion was a subject of debate. Long used for
warmth and protection, fur was increasingly viewed
as a luxurious status symbol in the 19th century. A
dressing gown from circa 1880 is trimmed with fur,
an extravagant embellishment for an at-home
garment. A “casual” raccoon fur coat, fashionable
among young collegians in the 1920s, will be
displayed next to an extravagant velvet opera cape
bearing a lavish fur collar. A 1960s paper dress
embellished with an ostrich plume collar
demonstrates how these once-luxurious feathers
became part of an increasingly “throwaway culture.”
As even the use of leather is debated today, the
inclusion of contemporary shoes by cruelty-free
label Charmoné will prove to rival those made from
animal materials.
Eco-Fashion: Going
Green is organized by Jennifer
Farley and Colleen Hill, along with Tiffany Webber.
The exhibition will be on view from May 25, 2010
through November 13, 2010 in the Fashion and Textile
History Gallery at The Museum at FIT.
The Fashion and Textile History Gallery presents
biannual exhibitions examining aspects of the past
250 years of fashion. Exhibitions are curated
exclusively from The Museum at FIT’s extensive
collection. Support for this exhibition has been
provided by the Couture Council.
A FASHION MUSEUM
The Museum at FIT is the only museum in New York
City dedicated solely to the art of fashion. Best
known for its innovative and award-winning
exhibitions, which have been described by Roberta
Smith in The New York Times as “ravishing,”
the museum has a collection of more than 50,000
garments and accessories dating from the 18th
century to the present. Like other fashion museums,
such as the Musée de la Mode, the Mode Museum, and
the Museo de la Moda, The Museum at FIT collects,
conserves, documents, exhibits, and interprets
fashion. The museum’s mission is to advance
knowledge of fashion through exhibitions,
publications, and public programs. Visit
www.fitnyc.edu/museum.
The museum is part of the Fashion Institute of
Technology (FIT), a college of art and design,
business and technology educating more than 10,000
students annually. FIT, a college of the State
University of New York (SUNY), offers 44 majors
leading to the AAS, BFA, BS, MA, and MPS degrees.
Visit
www.fitnyc.edu.
The Couture Council is a membership group of fashion
enthusiasts that helps support the exhibitions and
programs of The Museum at FIT. The Couture Council
Award for Artistry of Fashion is given to a selected
designer at a benefit luncheon every September. For
information on the Couture Council, call 212
217.4532 or email
couturecouncil@fitnyc.edu
MUSEUM HOURS
Tuesday-Friday–noon-8 pm; Saturday–10 am-5 pm
Closed Sunday, Monday, and legal holidays. Admission
is free.
All photographs by Eileen Costa, courtesy of The
Museum at FIT,
New York.
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joyce@blacktiemagazine.com |
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