SIMULATED IGNORANCE

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Awake The Mass Man: : an average, typical, or ordinary man : a prototype of the mass society especially when regarded as lacking individuality or social responsibility, as drawing his stereotyped ideas from the mass media, and as easily manipulated by economic, social, or cultural elites.

 

2020 Winter Collection by Kyla Bernberg: DAVKA LLC

 

Triggered by the conflicts of capitalism in close ties with fashion, I was inspired to create a collection which is designed to fight the corporate culture of fashion and fashion development. As we embark into the future I hope to encourage people to explore their individual sense of self rather than following trends of the masses. Ultimately this led me to diagnose the ills of fast fashion, and establish a sustainable alternative.

 

The first of the three problems which I seek to tackle are the source of the textiles, rather than purchasing new fabric I wanted to upcycle old fabrics. This led for a majority of my collection to be made out of curtains which I purchased at an estate sale early this year. I also made my own fabric by weaving old fabrics.

 

 The second problem which I wanted to dismantle is using fabric that hasn’t been changed. I used natural dyes such as indigo and turmeric to stain fabrics and also burned fabric with a soldering iron.  Coming from an artist background, I never want to use anything that I haven’t helped create. And I think this also is a grander metaphor regarding my rage against corporate culture and traditional norms. It is my personal responsibility to stain and manipulate culture, as in fabric, in order to create a more individualized society rather than participating in  a  homogenous continuation.

 

The third and final ill of fast fashion and corporate culture is that fashion is perceived as a commodity rather than an art. Art should never be created to sell, this destroys the essence of art. This led me to paint directly onto the clothes to create the surface design, creating a look which could never be mimicked as it has my personal handprint.