The Rational Dress Society: Constructing Clothing (E1)
posted 05/14/2018
CATEGORY: products
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LOCATION: Los Angeles
For the very first episode, we hear from Maura Brewer (L) & Abigail Glaum Lathbury (R), collectively known as the Rational Dress Society. They discuss Jumpsuit, their clothing production line that addresses the biggest ethical dilemmas in fashion and demonstrate that alternatives are possible. As "the open-source monogarment for everyday wear to replace all clothes in perpetuity", it is made entirely in the U.S. in 248 sizes and available for purchase or as an open source pattern to sew yourself. They also speak frankly about how they sustain themselves and their work and finish by discussing their offshoot Make America Rational Again project and the current state of textile recycling.
Aside from an in-depth explanation and critique of how fashion works, they talk about challenges common for small businesses and how they straddle the worlds of art, academia and business - the nexus from which new structures can come.
Resources:
Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline