Ethics of Style
James McLaughlin
Ethics of Style investigates and questions how we determine the sustainability of garments in the age of overconsumption, industrial pollution, and fast fashion garbage. Aimed towards helping individuals understand the ins and outs of sustainable fashion, this project explores that topic with a publication, interactive exhibition, and an in-person workshop on cloning clothes and DIYing graphics to make sustainability accessible to anyone at any level of knowledge.
The featured publication aims to address the problems caused by the fashion industry and serve as a guide for consumers on how they can navigate a market saturated with temporary garments. The exhibition—subtitled The Rack—features twenty-one unique pieces of second hand clothing. The Rack aims to educate people on the fabrics we interact with daily; how they are made, where they originated, and how sustainable they are while mimicking the retail shopping experience. The in-person workshop teaches participants how to make patterns from their favorite clothes, and how to make their own t-shirt graphics at home without the use of fancy equipment or plastic inks.
Together, the three pillars of Ethics of Style provide a low-barrier to entry for an otherwise daunting and politically charged industry/issue.