This project explores the intimacy and community of a cult through traditional cult garb: a cape. By making a pattern, the idea of a cape gets a commercialized and DIY twist, making it err on the sarcastic and humorous side as opposed to serious.
When tasked with choosing a cultural group to study for this project I immediately landed on cults. Something about them has always fascinated me; maybe it’s the strange cult history in my home state, Oregon, or recent events surrounding civil rights and social justice.
I initially wanted to sew my own version of a cult cape, but I took on sewing for my last project and decided to try something new for this. My roommate is a fashion major and lent me some of her pattern making paper which I used to help guide my measurements for the cape and hood which, if sewn, would be sewn together and also sewn on to other similar capes to make a cape circle (as indicated with arrows on the pattern and on the outside of the pattern envelope).
It wouldn’t be a Clare Lago art piece without some form of text! The outside of the pattern envelope was hand drawn and lettered using different pens of varying sizes and colored pencil. I used a vintage McCall’s pattern as my guide so that I could make mine at least somewhat accurate.
With this project I aimed to commercialize and normalize cults and cult wear by making a marketable product for the group. This piece is titled “Cult Classic” because this is a phrase often used to describe clothing or films that are popular or even covetable and I see this pattern as a “must have” for every cult member.
