PROJECT NAME: Adapt Able Shirt
What did you make and why?
What I design for my final project is an adaptable shirt that can grow over the years so that it can adapt to the changes in my body. The way it adapts is by being able to expand or collapse on the sides so that I can be able to be resilient to the changes in my body as the year pass.
The reason why I wanted to create this is that I have found that more than fabric quality or any damage that a garment can have, one limitation that a garment has is beyond what it can get with the use over the years and it is the size of it. I have had shirts that are still in good shape with no damage but the reason why I stop wearing it is that it doesn’t fit me anymore. Therefore, by changing and altering the basic construction of a basic shirt, I got to change the reason why shirts stop fitting anymore, and this design can be applied to any other design like for a dress, pants, skirts, among others. In this way, with the construction of a shirt that can “grow” over time, it doesn’t only affect directly on my spending but also it doesn’t contribute more to the development of fast fashion and creating more waste with the fashion industry.
In what ways will this object/design be useful to you over 50 years of change? How will it be resilient (used in more than one way etc. and/or encourage social resiliency through its usage)?
It will be useful to wear as a basic shirt but, when I get older I can also wear it as a vest on top of any other shirt. Therefore, this shirt is not only adaptable but multifunctional on the way it can be worn and what it serves for. So, the way it is resilient is by being able to adapt but also on the multifunctional uses it has. Moreover, for me, it also reminds me the importance of being adaptable and resilient, just like the shirt is able to adapt to a certain body, is how we need to learn to adapt to environmental changes and environmental conditions we have where we live.
What specific event(s) of environmental change will it help you adapt to or address?
I think by being able to be used for over 50 years without any size limitation, I think this project address the waste generation made by the fashion industry. In this way, it addresses directly the systems of air, water, and land. Because it won’t encourages the user to buy more and to replace one shirt for another, it encourages to use the same and even to use scraps of fabrics to cover any damage that will happen with the use.
What materials did you use, given what you have learned this semester about changing resources and material availability?
The materials that I have used is mainly cotton fabrics and denim that I had for another school project. So my idea was not only using this fabric but any scraps or recycled fabric that can serve to create any shirt. In this way, because I learned the waste that making garments and fabrics generate, I think that using recycled or fabric leftovers from another project was a wise and ethical decision.
How does your object offer function and aesthetics over time? How does it fulfill the Long-Life Design criteria to the best of your ability?
It offers function by being functional and wearable over time, so I can use it for over 50 years. Moreover, the aesthetics of this design can also be being adapted to any color and design shape by being able to add any scrap of any color giving a more modern look and also it can also have a collar attached with safety pins or buttons so that it can actually look like a new shirt.
2) Is there anything else you would like feedback on from me, before class next week regarding your final project and/or presentation?
