On the Mend Series: A Designer's Experience of Sustainable Fashion Practices
Deliverable: Pop-up installations and artist's book (photography, hand-drawn illustrations, and fold-out pages)
Role: Graphic Designer & Qualitative Practice-Based Researcher
Project Type: Graduate thesis project
Specifications: Hand-bound book with laser-etching and colour laser printing on recycled paper and vellum paper, 8.5 x 5.5 in.
Tools: Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Trotec laser-etch machine, laser printer, and wire-o binding machine
Natalie R. Chiovitti, On the Mend, 2024 Gallery installation design including a large-scale receipt, banners on clothing hangers, seamstress mannequin, cardigan, tote bag, sneakers, ottoman, sewing materials and tools, online Padlet conversation board, & pamphlet, approx. 9 x 19 ft., Elbow Gallery at ECU.
Natalie R. Chiovitti, Pop-Up of On the Mend, 2024, op-up installation including a large-scale receipt, banners on clothing hangers, seamstress mannequin, cardigan, tote bag, sneakers, ottoman, sewing materials and tools, online Padlet conversation board, pamphlet and Gently Used zine, approx. 9 x 19 ft., cafeteria at ECU.
Natalie R. Chiovitti, On the Mend: A Designer’s Experience of Sustainable Fashion Practices, 2024, 8.5 x 5.5 in., hand-bound publication with laser-etching and colour laser printing on recycled paper
On the Mend Series Overview
In the On the Mend series, I document my experience, as a graphic designer, and my reflexivity on sustainable fashion consumption through the mediums of an installation in gallery and pop-up settings along with an artist’s book. At the same time, as a graphic designer, I explored hands-on applications of climate-centric communication design in terms of design, materials, operational detail, and printing.
The aim of my On the Mend installation in the Elbow Gallery and the pop-up in the ECU cafeteria, was to empower people and invite community dialogue by showing examples of the three fashion items I reused, repurposed, and repaired alongside a large-scale receipt and participation table with mending materials and tools.
Based on these two installations, I designed an artist’s book where I share my observations, curiosities and questions about thrifting, clothing swaps, and signs of sustainable practices in retail clothing stores. Also, I share lessons learned and reflections on the frustrating aspects of repair, reuse, and repurposing. However, I also share the exciting and meditative qualities of engaging in these fashion micro-practices, to inspire climate action.
Taking a cue from 1960s conceptual artists who used artist's magazines and publications as a way to exhibit their work, I used the artist's book as an alternative space for the On the Mend gallery and pop-up installations to exist in. In this way, I think about the book as an object and as a space for the installation to happen beyond the temporal limits of the physical installations.
“On the Mend” Creative Direction Development
Reuse, Repurpose, and Repair of My Apparel
I engaged in the sustainable practices of reuse, repurpose, and repair of my apparel. From this, I developed the creative direction of "On the Mend" based on the expression that is associated with “improving health or recovery, such as a person or an economy being on the mend”. This led me to expand it to the environment being on the mend through mindful consumption and maintenance of fashion items. This creative direction was carried through to my installation and artist’s book.
I engaged in the sustainable practices of reuse, repurpose, and repair of my apparel. From this, I developed the creative direction of "On the Mend" based on the expression that is associated with “improving health or recovery, such as a person or an economy being on the mend”. This led me to expand it to the environment being on the mend through mindful consumption and maintenance of fashion items. This creative direction was carried through to my installation and artist’s book.
Typography and Design Considerations for Facilitating Climate-Centric Messaging
On the Mend receipt within artist’s book, gallery and pop-up installations
Design Considerations: Texture, Paper, and Typography
On the Mend Artist’s Book
The making of the On the Mend artist’s book consisted of: Six iterations of the editorial design layout; three rounds of content edits; nine prototypes/tests of binding and printing; and, fourteen laser etching tests for the cover. During the process I focused on design through texture, paper choices, and typography (please see below).
1. Artist’s book covers in Trotec laser-etch machine / 2. Page layout before binding / 3. Spiral bind manual machine
For more information about On the Mend, please go to my MDes Thesis website
