![Denim – Polluting or Evolving?]()
by Purba | Apr 25, 2021 | Fashion and sustainability |
Whenever we are asking which cloth makes you feel comfortable while you are travelling? An answer always passes through your head and you look down to your pair of jeans. Yes, there lies the answer!
Jeans are made of denim fabric a famous fabric for its durability. But have you ever thought weather your jeans are ecofriendly or not? Or have you ever wondered if the fabric was made is a different way to make it strong? May be you have or may be you haven’t. If you have then hope this article will provide you with a best answer!
Why Denim is considered as strong fabric?
Denim were made for gold miners as their fabrics needed to be strong enough and could handle the hazardous work they do. And Levi and Strauss first invented the denim that could hold its shape even after working in the mines or other hazardous work and it didn’t need frequent washing. It started blooming since then, Then it made debut as a film dress and become popular in cowboy movies and western movies.
Special weaving process and rivets to keep it from ripping made it strong than other clothes.
Picture: Factory beside a river. Courtesy: Photo by Linda Finkin on Unsplash
Why is it considered as a non eco friendly fabric?
Talking about denim’s being not an eco-friendly fabric, we can sort the problems in a numerical order and denim has got problem in every step of its way to processing from cotton to
finished fabric. Here are the problems described and I have also described how they can be reduced to minimum.
Cotton Cultivation Process:
Cotton plants need a lot of water to start with and even one of the most pesticide using plants. So they are polluting water and actually consuming a lot of water. Producing just 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cotton can require up to 7,660 gallons of water, depending on where it’s grown. So it’s a huge amount of water. Even workers who are working in the field are exposed to the chemicals that are used as pesticides.
Picture: Cotton. Courtesy: Photo by Amber Martin on Unsplash.
Dying process:
Dying process in the textile factory means dying the fabric with chemicals and colors as coloration process needs various chemicals to make the colors long-lasting. A series of chemicals are used to treat denim fabric and it’s colored with indigo color, a special color that lasts long enough to have the fabric
10/11 wash. 7.5 billion feet of denim fabric is produced every single year and they are repeatedly washed with water. A question may arise so what is the problem! We can use wasted water! But unfortunately we cannot do that as we have used the chemicals once and it has different ratio after one use. So the waters are wasted. It was noticed that Xintang, a town in southern China, the denim capital of word faced a disaster in 2013 . All of its rivers ran deep blue and smelled foul because the denim producers damped all the wasted water in the river.
Washing Process:
Washing denim is a process where a lot of chemical treatment is involved. While researching it was found that denim fabric contains heavy metal which can be disastrous for human life. After the pieces of denim is sewn together it is tossed into a variety of washing machine to gain the color or the faded color according to the trend and design.
So how to overcome this situation? Is there any solution to this problem? As human brain is the most sophisticated one, it has been searching for the solution for decades and a lot of solution has came forward. Let’s talk about that!
Hemp vs Cotton!
Hemp is often considered as a drug which is a miss conception. Levi the legendary brand of denim has found a technology to make hemp feel like cotton. They have blended 30% hemp and 70% cotton in their denim. Hemp produces fibers more than same amount of cotton and they need less amount of water to cultivate.
So it is a legendary step in the world of denim as denim is one of the most environment polluting industry in the world.
Courtesy: Photo by Rick Proctor on Unsplash.
Courtesy: Photo by Hanna Balan on Unsplash. Picture: Hemp vs Cotton.
Laundry system:
As we know the washing process need a lot of water so we need to reduce the amount of water. Some company has been trying to develop the environment. Pakistani denim company named Soorty has been trying to develoo a denim laundry system that is environment friendly and socially conscious. It has already invested to the most expensive wet denim processing plant in Pakistan. Later on they established A spinning space and in house recycling unit to recycle the wasted water.
This Industry needs to work altogether to reduces the effects and that’s why they made a joint effort in 2019 to go the greener way to reduce the pollution. The brands who have signed the commitment, they express their feeling as they are committed to creat a product or multiple products in adherence to the jeans redesign guideliness. Similarly, in fall 2020, Dutch and international brands signed the Denim Deal in Amsterdam, a pledge to reform and recycle jeans. The project, which is an initiative by House of Denim and the Dutch government, was started to create a circular economy and reuse more old denim garments.
Picture: Denim for future! Courtesy: Photo by Albany Capture on Unsplash.
It will continue as a debate topic that weather Denim is a fabric that we should put away or we should continue with it! But as long as I don’t have to wash my denim regularly and is made with latest ways, I am not leaving my most reliable “Friend Dress” Jeans!
Go green! Save the environment and wear jeans which are less hazardous to the environment!
By Team Bucolic Bohemian,
Mentor: Umme Memory Mim (Id: 2018-1-6-012) Dept: Textile Fashion & Design
Leader: Sabiha Moon Taha (Id: 2019-1-6-006) Dept: Textile Fashion & Design
Executive: Md. Mahmud Hosen (Id: 2020-1-2-006) Dept: Fabric Engineering
Reference:
If you want to read about a denim brand called Risen Jeans, you can go here! We’ve got you covered!
![Denim – Polluting or Evolving?]()
by Purba | Apr 24, 2021 | Top fashion news |
Nakshi Kantha is one of the most eminent and highly honoured folk arts of Bengal. The word Nakshi Kantha is deeply associated with the tradition of rural Bengal. In the rural houses of Bengal, women create these lushly embroidered quilts that have until recently gone unnoticed and unrecognized outside of the region. The people of this country have been using Nakshi Kantha for a very long time. These embroidered quilts have become an identity maker of the rural women, as they can find an opportunity to express desires, aspirations and sentiments through creative embroidered platform with the help of needles and threads.
History Behind Motifs of Nakshi Kantha
Although it is considered as a work of art for rural women, Nakshi Kantha art is associated with our socio-economic history and tradition. The life story of the kings, the battles, the myths, the love affairs of the men and women are mixed in every weaving of this art. Nakshi Kantha is a wonderful expression of the artistic mind of the women of the village. The embroidered surface of a Kantha contains a variety of folk motifs taken from the artisan’s locality. As the artisans are mostly from rural areas, the motifs are taken from nature, artisans everyday lives or something that they desire.
Bengal culture depicted on each motif.
Most of the motifs are selected mindfully and have their own meanings that carry semiotic importance as they represent an artisan’s self. Besides the multifarious motifs, the color, shape, texture, and size play important roles to convey the meaning and purpose of the craft.
Purpose & Uses
Different kinds of flowers, herbs, elephants, horses, birds, plows, boats, moon, stars, etc. are commonly noticed in these highly decorative artifact.This traditional art was practiced almost in every district of Bengal ; prominently in Rajshahi,Rangpur, Bogra, Pabna, Dinajpur, Kushtia, Faridpur, Jessore, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Cumilla and Sylhet.Because of the individuality of designs and stitches,kanthas are called by different names.Such as-
- Barka stitch
- Tejabi stitch
- Bamboo leaf stitch
- Kaito stitch
- Bichha stitch etc.
Animal & Floral motif.
Hence,the utilization of Nakshi Kantha can be multifunctional-it can serve as a blanket, coverlet, baby quilt,or prayer mat,as well as many other purposes,both religious and secular. And so, there are differences in their names according to usages.For instance, Lepkantha for winter, Bayatan for use on pillows, Asantha Kantha for sitting, Dastarkhana used for food, Jainamaz kantha for prayers etc.
Reflection of an Artisans Mindset
The rainy season lasts for a long time in Bengal. When it rains cats and dogs, Bengali women are mostlty seen passing the leisure time by sewing kantha with needle thread in the betel nut chat.In making of kantha,it requires crafting skill as well as traditional knowledge,as the skill is transferred from generation to generation without receiving any institutional training. Occasionally,the artisans adopt it subconsciously through following their female family members as a part of their household activity.To create a story on the surface of the kantha, the rural women are seen working on it from dawn to dusk. With incomparable skill, they make various designs on this decorative surface.
Beautiful Embroidery design. Courtesy: Bee-bd.com
For praising such amazing artifact and the dedication of the artisans,a dramatized bengali narritive named ‘Nakshi Kanthar Math’ was written by our very own ‘Palli Kabi’ Jasimuddin in 1929. After the publication of this narrative the word Nakshi Kantha became famous among the country people. We can surely recall some of the verses here-
“Spreading the embroidered quilt,
She works the lifelong night,
As if the quilt her poet were
Of her bereaved plight.
Many a joy,many a sorrow
Is written on its breast;
the story of Rupa’s life is there,
Line by line expressed.”
Beliefs & Chronicle Changes
Previously, the sentiments of the artisans were the key component to guide the process of making a Nakshi Kantha.
-The artisans’ religious belief used to be reflected in a traditional Kantha as well, depending on its intended use.
-Discarded clothes used to be the primary material for making Nakshi Kantha,as they were believed to remove the evil eye from newborn babies who were wrapped in them.
– In the rural areas, it was once a custom to give kantha to the bride at weddings as a token of love. In the evolution of time, Nakshi Kantha is no longer used for everyday use.
Though previously Kanthas were used to represent love and care for dear ones,in its present form it has assisted the artisans to empower themselves by using their traditional skills for commercial manufacturing of Nakshi Kantha. The multiple functions and meanings of these handcrafted textiles have not only allowed them to contribute to household use but also have furnished their place in history and now in the contemporary world, as they have moved into public spaces like art galleries, museums, exhibitions, and craft shops, as well as gaining a new role in personal use and even in works of literature.
Read our premium and trending article on The 21st century fashion
Rural women are making Nakshi Kantha together. Courtesy: Heifer International.
Conveying Tradition through Nakshi Kantha
Nakshi Kantha is very popular as a memento, and it is a medium through which recipients can stay attached to their origins. As there is no specific design for Nakshi Kantha sewing, one can pour ones heart out through this folkart. Many people with Bengali roots who live in different parts of the world have at least one Nakshi Kantha in their collection. Isn’t that great? At the same time, artisans have now come to see the making of Nakshi Kantha as a way of achieving economic independency. Due to its extraordinary aesthetics, it has already crossed the roadmap from a domestic craft to an extremely valued fashion object.
By Team Saturnine,
Mentor: Tanvir Ahamed Fahad; Id:2018-1-6-026
Leader: Atkia Faiza; Id:2019-1-6-020
Executive: Md. Asaduzzaman Ovi; Id:2020-1-6-020
Dept: Textile Fashion & Design
References:
As you have read this article, you might also be interested in reading about Muslin: The history of pride and sorrow
![Denim – Polluting or Evolving?]()
by Purba | Apr 20, 2021 | Academic |
From childhood, we dreamt to be invisible like Harry Potter with a magical cloak. But with modern technology & science is that really possible? Let’s check out its origin, adaptation & current scientific updates.
Origin of Invisible Cloak
The invisible cloak is mainly adapted from mythologic terms. It’s mainly a fictional theme which is mainly found in Welsh, German & in some cases probably in Greek myths. According to these myths using certain special cloaks, people can become invisible. However, these myths are mainly found through folklore & storytelling as there is no actual evidence of the existence of these kinds of fabric or cloak before.
Adaptation in fictional Literature & Entertainment
Ancient myths still inspire our art, culture, fashion & entertainment. The invisible cloak inspired a lot of things in the modern era or pre-modern era. A lot of fictional novels are based on these kinds of stuff. In the modern-day several movies & series adapted these mythological terms. Cloaks of Invisibility also existed in Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The Hobbit series also adapted idea like invisible/magic cloak. The most interesting fact is most of the audience appreciated these mythological terms in entertainment & novel culture. However, getting inspired by fantasy, humans are now trying to create such stuff using modern technology & science.
Scientific Research & Technology
There is been a lot of work happening related to cloaking devices since 2006. Two scientists from Duke University made it possible to render an object invisible for the first time. The cloak was made of “Metamaterial”. It’s generally not found in natural materials. (Although the concept of Metamaterial started in 1967). That special cloak routed microwaves in such a way that makes our eyes emerge as if there is nothing or the object is invisible. However, the research continued more & scientists from Berkeley Lab & University of California added a new dimension to it. They believed that cloaking at optical frequencies is quite possible. At the beginning of 2011, they announced a new cloaking system that was effective in visible lights and can hide macroscopic objects. Natural birefringence of calcite was used in it. When we look at something, we identify its colour because it absorbs all the colour except for the colour that is associated with that object. The wavelength bounces of that object and goes into our eyes which is processed by our brain. So, to deceive our vision an invisibility cloak would have to stop reflecting light back from objects to our eye. By making the wavelengths of light avoid the objects one can do that. Similarly, some cloaking technology can divert wavelengths of light around the edges of an object instead of deflecting them back to our eyes. By this, our brain thinks absent of a certain object. The new cloak created by the University of California doesn’t curve light waves around the object, but reflects and diverts a malformed version of those wavelengths, and thus makes the object undetectable. They used a close-fitting “metasurface” which is made of a light-thin insulator material flecked with gold rectangles that absorb and then emit light waves in a way that eyes can’t identify. The material’s thickness is less than a micrometre as a result it can be wrapped around objects like skin. However, the latest cloaks advantage is that it can cover objects with neat sharp edges, which was proven highly challenging with cloaks in the past.
Problems that Scientists are facing
To create invisible cloaks scientists are facing a lot of problems. One of them is the high dispersive nature of these materials. Besides light passing through them sometimes gets partially absorbed. There is also some issue with movement. The movement of objects may create a problem with invisibility.
Latest Update
Although perfect cloaking is still impossible scientists are trying for its advancement throughout new compound or metal. detectors like microphones, radar or waves and sources such as loudspeakers can still identify object hidden with the latest cloaking tech. But scientists also expect to make perfect cloaking if a particular formula is used to calculate the signals to be fed to the sources. Currently, scientists are working with the metasurface concept in this technology.
Stealth Aircraft by the United States. Courtesy: Image by WikiImages from Pixabay
Current Use & Future Projects:
Although invisible cloaking’s core idea came from myths and fantasy it may be a useful and game-changing revolution for the world, especially in military tactics. Soldiers can disguise themselves with such kind of cloaks during the war. Even probably a whole bunch of arms, camps can be hidden using such technologies. Countries like the United States already working to manufacture stealth aircraft & it has been reported that the British army has also tested something like “Invisible tank”. However, researchers are excited about this new surface as It could eventually open doors to new exciting applications.
By Team Stalwart,
Mentor: Sumita Bhattacharja Joly (2018-1-6-007) Dept: Textile Fashion & Design
Leader: Shariful Islam Akash (2019-1-6-040) Dept: Textile Fashion & Design
Executive: Nashita Ahmed (2020-1-10-041) Dept: Environmental Science & Engineering
References:
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To know the biggest fashion trends of 21st century, you can visit here! Moreover, if you want to know the future of fashion industry after Covid-19, you can click here!
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![Denim – Polluting or Evolving?]()
by Purba | Apr 19, 2021 | Top Trends |
Chapter of The New Beginning
Who would have thought a little virus would lock the whole world down and make significant changes in our lives? Apart from the drastic changes in socio-economic and political changes, the Covid-19 pandemic also hit hard in all Fashion Industries. Billions of dollars of clothing orders around the world have been cancelled. Considerable physical retailers have been closed. Global sales are decreasing as much as 60-70%. And as a consequence, these let to change people’s behavior, mindset and preferences in clothing. These changes will reinvent people’s fashion sense and reshape the fashion industry.
What was the fashion tale before Covid-19?
It is nonetheless in the spotlight that before Covid-19, top leading garment exporting countries, especially in Asia, made a huge hub for production of high volume of necessary clothing at a lower price. This issue also led our country to become the second largest garment exporter in the whole world with about $32.3 billion export products just in 2018. Furthermore, global luxury brands made high-quality expensive apparels to define the upper class. But of course, the ongoing pandemic changed the whole plot!
A Histogram on the pre-Covid era of the Asian garments industry in 2018.
Let’s have a look at how people’s sentiments and behavior will switch the fashion industry.
- People’s demand for sustainability and purposeful brands
From the beginning of pandemic, 54% of brand sustainability professionals felt there has been more demand on sustainable fashion. From Mckinsey, 57% of consumers said that they had made symbolic changes to their lifestyles to decrease their environmental impact. Shoppers will support brands with a purpose and their least possible concern will be sustainability.
As environmental impact is becoming a major concern for people, the post-pandemic era would give greater importance to natural and regenerated fibers. In modern days, aside from using cotton, wool- some countries are using lotus fibers to produce high quality clothing, cactus to produce leather. This mixed usage of common and underrated natural fibers could lead towards a more healthier fashion industry; satisfying both customer demand and new fashion trends.
- Beginning of multiple closed-loop in the industry!
The introduction to circularity in fashion industry is a much needed system for the post pandemic era! What does exactly multiple closed-loop serve to the customers? This system provides the reuse of raw materials from previous life cycle, also enables customers to not to throw away the apparels purchased from the previous season or trend. This can be done by redesigning old clothes and reinventing the production process for waste reduction.
- People like to grab simple clothing that is easy to wash
When people are busy with taking care of someone who is ill or busy with oneself to survive this pandemic, the household work is then quite a burden to them. Eventually, they will go for washable clothing like cotton, linen, washable silk and washable merino wool. But they will neglect beadwork and lace, fabrics like rayon or regular silk that shrink and get stained by water.
- Luxury would be neglected
In this ongoing pandemic, not only did people lose their close ones but also many of them are jobless specially in thriving countries. Hence, there will be a change in status for many after the pandemic. Many of the wealthiest women are dressing more simply than last year, as they felt luxury is in bad taste these days.
A depiction on people’s dream on luxury wear- now a past trend. Courtesy: Unsplash.
- Fashion trends will slow down
“People are going to be eager to buy stuff, if they can afford it. But I don’t think they will jump on something new. they’ll just want something that will be reassuming to them”, said Nancy Deihl, Director of costume studies at New York University. Many designers including Rick Owens, Donatella Versace, Guram Gvasalia have already looking forward to slowing down fashion and creating seasonless clothes. This means clothes will be designed in a manner where the garment themselves will not be outdated!
- We will be back in Love with House Dress!
At this time, nobody really knows how or when the pandemic will end and the fashion industry like every other business sector, is struggling to make it through. One thing is definitely certain though, everyone has changed their lifestyle. Quarantine has made people recover the enjoyment of staying indoor. Lockdown period may sound like bad news, but it also indicates that this period has made faster rise of a brand new apparel category: loungewear. Since, fashion is focusing on seasonless garments, loungewear is getting higher attraction. That means another cause of this is global lockdown made consumers opt for loungewear, with users staying home for long period of time and spending less money, traders can expect home wardrobes to become the new trend even after the pandemic. So, we can say that as staying in is becoming the new going out, loungewear may be a genuine challenge for every elegant fashion brand, like they’ll have to merge the raising market requests of comfort, flexibility, longevity and aesthetics.
A style of loungewear, perfect for staying indoor, job and socializing. Courtesy: Pexels.
For the pandemic people are spending most of their time into movies, tv series etc. They are getting influenced by the outfits of fashion projected on the movies. Since the lockdown influencers around couldn’t connect to people so much as they cannot go outside. So, after Covid there will be noticeable change of taste in fashion. We will get another type of fashion sense with a lot of creative ideas.
- Consumers will shop less, be picky when they do
As we all know, during this pandemic, the sentiments and behaviors of consumers also changed. After covid the situation would have a scenario where consumers would shop less and they will be picky for whatever they want to buy. Whereas whole spending will turn down, interest will expand in activewear, casualwear, beauty products and household categories, at the cost of such categories as handbags and formalwear. Rather of conspicuous consumption, people would think of inconspicuous spending.
- Online shopping at its best!
The pandemic has strived more shoppers than ever to move to the online route. It has made a new relationship with clothes through online marketing. The survey of online shopping shows that online purchases have increased 6% to 10% across most products, where fashion leaders also play a good role on clothing.
Fashion brands and retailers organize their online page so professionally that attracts the customer. Shopping clothes online gives everyone the chance to check over for various items in different stores at the same time, providing one with a big collection of clothing choices to select. If one store doesn’t satisfy with what you need, you can also check other stores for those items that you need just sitting in your comfy couch! And this will be very helpful after Covid. The best fashion ecommerce sites are Tabitha Simmons, Verge Girl, Natori, Olive Clothing, Revelry, The Mountain etc.
Online shopping- a new digital hope for brands, retailers and consumers. Courtesy: Pexels.
- Masks as the new fashion trend
This factor can easily be considered to be one of the most important changes that Covid-19 would show to us. For the certain future, we will all be encouraged to wear masks in situations where social distancing isn’t possible. Especially in countries like Bangladesh, where dust and micro-particles are constant threat to us, masks are a reliable source of safety. As masks become such an important part of our wardrobes, fashion has grabbed this opportunity to create innovative masks to make them vogue. Brands like Collina Strada, have made masks from tie-dye patterns overtop. Other brands such as Reinformation have started styling their campaign images with masks too, showcasing floral masks to match their sundresses. Though there are various types of masks like tie-dye, floral, printed, crystal, disposable and so on, masks made of cotton and other washable materials have got the real attention.
Printed masks- a possible new route towards successful business for the post-pandemic era. Courtesy: Unsplash.
Considering all the things, we can definitely say that this pandemic impacts almost every aspect of our lives. The fashion-retail sector is no less. This industry will mutate along with the change in consumer behavior and demographic causes. The retailers can, of course, grab onto these situations to change them into profitable opportunities by focusing on domiciliary opportunities that will help turn up business expectations in the COVID era and return the success of the fashion industry holds.
-Team Bespoke
Mentor: Tasphia Zaman (TFD 44, ID: 2018-1-6-009)
Leader: Khadiza Sharmin (TFD 45, ID: 2019-1-6-015)
Executive: Nahema Haque Khushe (TFD 46, ID: 2020-1-6-002)
References:
Image 1: https://unsplash.com/photos/iaSzwYccV28
Image 2: https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—asia/—ro-bangkok/—sro-bangkok/documents/publication/wcms_755630.pdf
Image 3: https://unsplash.com/photos/_3Q3tsJ01nc
Image 4: https://www.pexels.com/photo/light-man-love-people-6599077/
Image 5: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-black-android-smartphone-5076516/
Image 6: https://unsplash.com/photos/cBxYfvm0P_I
To know the biggest fashion trends of 21st century, you can visit here! Moreover, if you want to know the future of fashion industry after Covid-19, you can click here!
And if you want to read one of our premium case studies on Fast Fashion Vs Slow Fashion, you can go here!
Fast Fashion Vs Slow Fashion: A Case Study
You can also read our interesting and well researched article on: Architecture Fabric: The New Use of Textiles as A Building Material
![Denim – Polluting or Evolving?]()
by Purba | Mar 29, 2021 | Shout out |
In the journey of sustainability, Fashionnovation found a lot of like-minded and environmental friendly companies like Artientifique, a company that upcycles expired cosmetics and creates value added products. Reportedly, this is the first initiative in the world that utilized cosmetics for value added paintings. Fashionnovation communicated with the person behind this initiative and in this special article, brings the driving force behind her step to make the world a better place.
In this article, we will hear the story directly from the person behind ‘Artientifique’.
The background:
Once upon a time, a young girl was sitting at her dressing table and wondering what happens to the unwanted stock of expired makeup products, where does it go? There must be some stories that we don’t know, and she was firm to discover those.
The school girl started piling makeup from her peers, teachers and started creating wonderful paintings out of it. After years of practice and continuous improvement, she took her works live on social media. Do you know who is this girl? She is Aisha Javid Ali Mir, an Indian living in Madina city, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, well-known for her passion for space science and sustainable school projects.
Aisha Mir with her collected raw materials that she will use for her amazing paintings.
Sustainable Innovation, which helps us revive our nature’s beauty and perform our duty as a responsible global citizen. This would be a guilt-free investment in the art sector which would redefine our mindset towards environment-friendly products and encourage us to recognize them as our top priority.
Aisha creates exclusive paintings by upcycling old and expired cosmetics, this is her effort to save our home planet earth from marine biodiversity degradation. This initiative’s name is Artientifique, the name she signs her paintings with on the frames. Aisha says
“It basically means a person who practices art and science simultaneously, as I’m solving a scientist’s challenge in an artistic way, so I name myself an Artientifique.”
Painting done by Aisha Mir using expired makeup products. Photo courtesy: Aisha Mir, Artientifique.
What motivates you?
When I first started painting using old and expired cosmetics, I had one goal which is I want to see my planet full of life once again, fascinating and beautiful as if it got a makeover! I was the first artist globally to take cosmetic waste sticky, melting, and dry products from people and recreate them in an eco-friendly way to create paintings. The process and the cause were my crucial motivators that gave me momentum to continue and work harder to prevent more cosmetics from reaching the landfills.
What is your aim?
My aim through Artientifique is to showcase how beautiful and durable upcycled art can be, I want to redefine our mindset towards sustainable art, I want to show that they are way different than the conventional ideas of recycling.
How do you prepare such lovely works?
A lot of preventive measures while working with discarded cosmetics are required. I wear gloves, cover my nose if required, making sure no waste residues are left. Every cosmetic container like bottle or tube or palette needs to be cleaned first before upcycling the material inside it so that it becomes germ-free and safe to use.
I have separate dedicated tools which are not mixed with other regular tools, for extracting the material, designing motives, creating new textures, intensifying the color, and improving their durability. While working with one or two products, you may not feel the need to do all these, after all, it is your own makeup and you know its condition. But when I work in my art studio, I have to handle kilos of cosmetics, literally big boxes full of oozing foundation, and leaking nail paint, broken shadow palettes, and dry kohl. But when these products are given a new life as an exclusive painting to adorn our walls, they again demonstrate us that beauty is everywhere, we just need to search for it and value its presence.
Any food for thought for the readers?
I would like to end this with a food for thought. Please ponder on this question- while we are so concerned about what we put on our faces, shouldn’t we also think once what are we putting on our home planet’s surface?
You can reach out Aisha Mir at artientifique@gmail.com or follow her on Instagram: @artientifique_official and her website: https://www.artientifique.org.
If you have any initiative like Aisha Mir or have to say something to the world, feel free to contact us and get featured in Fashionnovation! oUR EMAIL ADDRESS: FASHIONNOVATIONFD@GMAIL.COM
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