In the FIT exhibition Exhibitionism: 50 Years of The Museum at FIT, there was Maison Martin Margiela sweater made from army green and black wool socks made in Fall 1991. The sweater was featured in Fashion Unraveled exhibition which highlighted the roles of memory and imperfection in fashion. This sweater was made by deconstructing existing garments and recreating it for a new purpose. I think the reason this item was selected to this exhibition is because it can highlight the possibility of recycling in fashion and it has its value as a commentary on the planned obsolescence and the wasteful nature of fashion industry. These kinds of clothes challenge the idea that fashion is a disposable and ephemeral commodity that are no longer useful after its first use. Moreover, Margiela was one of the avant-garde Belgian designers from the Royal Academy of Antwerp in the 1990s who presented artisanal collections by repurposing cast-off clothes or surplus materials. The radical Belgian designers incorporated unconventional materials and intentionally distressed and deconstructed items into their collections and contributed to fashion history in a radical and conceptual way. However, these kinds of items are often disregarded in fashion media due to the nature of its construction and the media’s inclination to make the consumers buy new products. Unconcerned with the duty to sell the products or to entertain the audience, exhibiting fashion items in a museum setting allow the audience to appreciate the items as work of art by knowing the social and historical contexts and meanings.
