Uudistetut vaatetarinat | Sofia Dinello-Morais

• Describe your approach? 

The creation of my pieces begins with an instinctive attraction to a specific element of the previous garments: the texture, certain constructive details, or the way it shapes the body. I start with the existing structures of these garments, using one as a base, and incorporating elements from others to create the new pieces. At times all the elements complement each other, and at times the new elements completely take over, making the initial garment almost disappear. Purposely, I seek for these new collage-garments to feel intricate, delicate, even fragile, although wearable and comfortable. It is an attempt to reclaim what is considered waste, redundant and unusable as something beautiful and meaningful. Also, I want to highlight the slow and one-of-a-kind ways of constructing and wearing garments, adding value through processes that honour time and care. 

• What was your design process like? 

The process is very intuitive and involves pinning and cutting mostly on the mannequin, and trying to respond to what each material asks for, depending on the available amount and how well maintained it is. Some fabrics are manipulated by washing or twisting. Each piece is almost entirely hand-sewn. Working with reused garments feels very natural and relevant and, although it has challenges, it also opens possibilities. For me, it allows to find interesting connections between garments that don’t necessarily relate to each other, to combine and reuse even small scraps and irregular parts of the materials, as well as to play with pre-existing details and finishings, bringing them back to life in a way that is unique and irreplicable.