Deconstruct and Reconstruct

In the name of sustainability as well as style, Shannon G lasheen designs many designers a re taking u nwa nted clothes apart and refashioning them i nto completely different and origi nal ga rments. In the interest of making good use of the mountains of discarded fashions that sit in closets, th rift stores, and warehouses a round the globe-if they have not already been relegated to la ndfil ls-these designers tra nsform the secondhand and the unsold i nto relevant new fashions. This repurposi ng resonates with a generation of fashion enthusiasts concerned with the environment. Designer Shannon G lasheen a pplies all her traini n g i n pattern making and construction to repurpose garments that may be outdated, well worn, or misunderstood. Breathing new l ife i nto pieces such as these req uires that the designer look at each item as raw material and not as a fin ished product. Once dissected, there may a lso be very specific sections of a garment that can be reoriented to serve a new pu rpose. Bui lding hybrids is a nother va riation of this m ethod, where ele ments from va rious garments a re remixed into a designer mashup. For designers worki ng with in the confi nes of a business model with d ifferent demands, the deconstruct/reconstruct a pproach to the design process can be incorporated as an aesthetic from the start, utilizi ng it to deve lop sample ga rments that can then be repl icated.