Designer Finalists (2008)

Rebecca Milward

Incognito

'Go big or go home!' Has been Rebecca’s anthem since the beginning of her endeavors in Fashion. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Rebecca has always risen to the occasion, competing in several design competitions. The likes of which include the Cashmere BT couture competition in which finalists were required to construct a dress principally out of bathroom tissue. As one of the two candidates from Canada, at the Arts of Fashion international competition in Miami, Rebecca worked with Tony Delcampe of La Cambre to create a showpiece.

As a recent graduate of the Seneca Fashion Arts program, Rebecca has been working with Alice Ko in her shop as well as showcasing her designs in a Fashion Tour in and around the GTA.

Interpretation of Theme

Collection Name: "Organic Consumption". ‘Organic Consumption’ is not only a fashion exhibition but a social commentary, on the recent green trend in our consumerist North American society. In Canada alone, we consume 27,249,178 tonnes of waste, divided by 32,976,000 people; the average Canadian throws away 826 kilos per year, thats 12 times our weight in garbage. And yet we claim to be conscious of our environment by recycling the occasional bottle? Meanwhile the majority of goods purchased are over packaged and unworthy of the hype associated with their Brand name.

I have incorporated two opposing forces throughout this collection, using organic, environmentally friendly fibers and methods of fabrication (ie, reconstruction, felting, knitting, etc) and embellishing the fibers with useless metal trinkets, computer chips, and other technological icons of our society. There will also be a structural opposition using slouchy voluminous shapes (organic) and rigid plastic forms using Papier Mache which has been decoupaged with ads and treated with a hardening agent to create a glossy plastic finish.

In constant conflict with each other, these two elements (organic vs. commercial) will compliment each other with their subtleties. Such details will include full, stuffed collars with newspaper, wrapped in bright pink netting; shallow hidden inseam pockets with colorful lining, hand felted fabric will merge with knitted wool /hemp, and details (hoods, pockets, etc) from reconstructed army surplus jackets and other already existing garments. I also plan on knitting hidden logo’s and bio hazard symbols into the knitted fabric. The plastic skirt and belts will be hinged as well to make it possible to get in and out of the garment. I will also be using designer labels from old pairs of jeans to decorate a knitted dress.

In an age where we socialize through a computer, shunning a face for a screen, making trivial TV jokes, instead of having any ourselves; talking on a cell phone, ignoring the person standing next to us. It seems to be a growing trend to submit ourselves unconsciously to an unreality. In conclusion, most people are only beginning to see the adverse effects that our over-consumption is having on our planet; sadly, it’s only because the corporations themselves have told us that green is the new black.

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