Strong Wool Speaks
(un)dressing Utopia
Connecting to a Local Exploration
of Fashion Consumption
(un)dressing Utopia examines how materials from a select locality can be developed into artisanal textiles and garments which challenge contemporary fashion consumption through the lens of Thomas Moore’s Utopia (1516). Highlighting intricate garments with all processes carried out by hand, Callum Forbes-Day’s research considers environmental and ethical concerns in the fashion industry.
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Researcher(s)
Callum Forbes-Day
AUT RAU textiles researcher -
Supervisors
- Dr Jyoti Kalyanji
- Leica Johnson
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Materials / Techniques / Keywords
- Merino Romney wool
- Alpaca fibre
- Wild clay
- Limestone
- Gathered plant dyes
Context
(un)dressing Utopia developed as means to explore and contribute to the conversation around the globalisation of the fashion industry and the negative environmental and ethical impacts of consumerism. Callum investigates how utopian values — locality, connection, artisanal-making — might challenge contemporary fashion consumption. Through the creation of garments handcrafted with materials from his family’s lifestyle block in North Canterbury, Aotearoa, this Master of Design project recognises potentials within a shift towards a more localised fashion industry.
Process
Material Driven Design and craft research support the artisanal nature of the project’s textile research, allowing textiles and garment designs to be determined by the material, rather than sourcing materials for a preconceived outcome.
Materials were developed entirely by hand. Handspun wool warps from Callum’s Merino Romney crossbreed sheep were woven with alpaca fibre (gifted by his neighbour) as the weft. Wild clay and limestone fasteners replaced the need for conventional buttons/buttonholes, and textiles were coloured with natural plant dyes gathered from the family garden.
Insights
Callum’s woven garments visibly reflect the hundreds of hours of gathering and making in their production. Through testing artisanal spinning and weaving methods, the importance of craft and its inherent connection with (and understanding of) materials and land is highlighted. The woven textile contrasts uniform against nonuniform, paying homage to skills developed over centuries while providing a reminder of how connected the researcher is to the origins of the fibres.
(un)dressing Utopia received a Bronze commendation at the 2024 Best Awards
