Collaboration with Turkish artist Semi Delareyna

Cast Iron, Repurposed Leather, Feathers, Cigarette Buds

25 x 25 x 10 cm x4

2017

In collaboration with fashion artist Semi Delareyna, “Not Lost” is part of a larger fashion collection depicting the difficult balance between humanity and its environment.

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The collection focuses specifically on the idea of giving and taking as a way to communicate and bond with that which surrounds us. This particular piece represents man’s relationship with nature, with each continuously contributing to the other. Indeed, our entire existence rests on the shoulders of the earth we live on, portrayed here as a bird carrying the weight of the human, but one small misstep might crush the fragile base. The ensemble encourages the giving back of mankind through the protection of this ill-treated planet by being entirely composed of human waste, repurposed.

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The statement dress highlights the hypocrisy of society, which at once applauds efforts to recycle and turns a blind eye to waste. As such, the iron used is repurposed from radiators, the leathers are reconditioned from scrap and the feathers, collected. Yet cigarette buds are hidden in the feathers, subtly normalizing pollution.

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This matter was particularly worth underscoring as the fashion industry is notorious for the waste it produces, but the audience will only see the art.