Etienne Wenger: "Are groups of people who share s concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do It better as they integrate regularly."
The Evolution of Communities of Practice:
(Atkinson, 2011) The role of the designer is becoming more varied: part creator, part researcher, part facilitator, part process Manager.
(Vuletitch 2009) Designers are moving beyond designing solely a product but tailoring a range of touch points into designed services and experiences. These approaches are moving beyond "stuff", and towards inspiring and empowering change.
Liam Benson
Sydney based artist Liam Bensons work explores shared values that integrate diverse cultures, genders, and abilities to find common ground. He invites people from diverse genders and cultures to meet at a neutral space such as community centres, galleries, schools where they share and create embroidery art together while talking and eating.
Benson's practice and values are aspects that really inspire my own practice. I have always been inspired to take workshops in embellishment and teach individuals and communities how to up-cycle their own clothes and materials into unique, special and one of a kind pieces. His colour use and technique is truly admirable through combined works he is able to achieve stunning pieces of artwork which are seen below. I really enjoyed watching the video which I have attached below for viewing.
Images taken from Liam Benson's Wealth of Unconditional Love- Interview with the design files: https://thedesignfiles.net/2017/10/liam-benson/
The Sustainable Sequin Company
With my focus primarily on embellishment I found Rachel Clowes philosophy around sustainability and her focus on design for cyclability extremely interesting. Sequins themselves used to be made from metal however now are primarily made from plastic. When sequins are made 33% of sequin film is wasted during the conventional punching process as well as the non-biodegradable plastic and its toxic longevity of the material.
Her interest in sequins came about after she underwent a Fashion and Environment course. Through this she proposed ideas around keeping an item for a long time, but not wearing it and storing it in your wardrobe is not sustainable and a waste. She believed that clothes should be active in the way they were designed to be worn.
Rachel developed a new type of sequin that biodegrades at its end of life. Because most sequins are made from plastic and are often discarded when disposed can last in landfill for hundreds of years, emitting dangerous chemicals in the process as well as block out eco systems.
The sequins she develops are made from scratch. They are made from starch, naturally dyed and fruit glycerine which allows them to dissolve. Starch and fruit glycerine have the same properties as the plastic sequins and are environmentally friendly. I found it extremely interesting that Rachel uses new materiality, new ways of manufacturing and new ways to apply and use sequins.
Sophia Athas
"I definitely don’t connect well with the ‘less is more’ thing. I love colours and patterns and vibrancy, I don’t like pulling things back, I like adding to it."
Sophia Athas is an embroidery artist, content creator, a stylist, a graphic designer and creative director. I have always been heavily inspired with how Sophia practices, especially her beautiful workshops she creates with the northern beaches community. Her playful nature and aesthetic is something I find truly admirable, whether she is mixing and matching threads, sequins or adding to custom recycled garments with hand painting techniques.
Athas has an interest in up-cycling where she will take vintage denim jackets, t- shirts, jeans and skirts and add sequins, embroidery and words to give the garment a one of a kind feel and new life. Athas has inspired me throughout my design studies as someone that expresses the notion "more is more" when it comes to materials, which is just like how I enjoy working.
I have attached some of her workshop images below and videos that I am inspired by and enjoy looking at while I practice.
"I definitely don’t connect well with the ‘less is more’ thing. I love colours and patterns and vibrancy, I don’t like pulling things back, I like adding to it."
Dauphinette NYC
Dauphinette NYC is one place that would be my ultimate dream job in the future. The brand itself was founded by Olivia Cheng in 2018 where she creates one-of-a-kind, Made-in-New York outerwear from recycled and by-product fur and leather. Once she sources the coats she updates each design with embroidery, sequins, excess feathers as trims as well as hand painted coats. After launching her outerwear she soon moved into developing bags and accessories. Some of my favourite pieces include her transparent bags that are filled with floating vintage stamps and real pressed flowers as well as vintage sequins where each bag is unique to its own and features its own arrangement of stamps and flowers.
Chengs handicraft, palette and aesthetic is an aspect that inspires my own practise, especially the way she transforms vintage pieces in to beautiful one of a kind pieces. I would like to explore hand painting second hand fabrics, her transparent fabric techniques using waste.
"DAUPHINETTE teams recycled fur and leather with other vintage and artisanal components. We are committed to minimizing waste and creating positive impacts in the small communities (and big cities) where they matter most."
Elissa Brunato
Elissa Brunato is a designer who re-envisions materials that are "currently petroleum-derived to initiate a more circular textile economy" which is definitely an aspect of my practice that I am extremely interested in. I find Elissa's practice very influential when it comes to tackling the environmental concerns around the embroidery industry and the limited innovation in sustainable material options. Brunato looks deeply into how shimmering beads and sequins are contributing to our huge micro-plastic issue in which our earth is facing.
Within her practice she has found a way to create a "Bio Iridescent sequin" using natural materials to create shimmering colours. To create the sequin she extracts crystalline which is a form of cellulose. the material is light weight and unexpectedly as strong as plastic aswell as being compostable.
Brunato's practice has inspired me through material innovation and how we do not have to use harmful PVC when it comes to embellishment. There are other materials that can have the same effect as that harmful shimmering plastic sequin.