Throughout this last year, a lot of people developed hobbies. One of the most popular would be the DIYs, which means “Do It Yourself”. It can go from beauty products to clothes to home improvements. Let’s take a little step back to where it actually came from.
It’s been here for a good while; we’re talking since the beginning of 19th century. With larger families, buying toys began more and more expensive and so, a lot of toys were often made at home. Then, in the 1950s, we witnessed a real explosion of popularity towards DIYs. It followed on from the period before and after the Second World War, where many everyday essentials were rationed, so people had to develop skills to build their needed items. In this article, we’re going to focus on fashion, of course, and some of the artists that brought it to life in their line of work.
Picture taken from Science Museum Article
With the growing awareness of how damaging clothing manufacturing can have on our planet, many artists have wondered how they could change the way clothing is made. A solution often comes up: modifying used clothes, homemade dyeing, transforming used clothes (or scraps) into other objects, etc. Here are some DIY fashion designers that you might know: Merritt Meacham, Lefty NYC, Feuer God, Emily Dawn Long, JJVintage, and more…
Montage of pictures taken from Instagram page of Lefty NY
Montage of pictures taken from Instagram page of Merritt Meacham
“As time passes, I feel more in line with the artistry and not so much the fashion world. And not because of what I make, but because of my relationship to the process,” Meacham recently said in an interview with HighSnobiety.
This new trend is also a lot of fun, as it allows the general public to be able to create and express themselves through their clothes, with few tools required. This creates a strong craze for reusing clothes you no longer wear, and thus, helps to slow down fast-fashion. Here are some Montreal designers not to be missed, that include DIY in their creation process: Rococo Disco Cowboy, Kunst, Mamé, Fantasy Object, Constance Massicotte, and more.
Montage of pictures taken from Instagram page of Rococo Disco Cowboy
Montage of pictures taken from Instagram page of Kunst
Montage of pictures taken from Instagram page of Constance Massicotte
Go and show some love to your amazing local brands. Also, why not try 1 or 2 DIYs by yourself? Just until summer comes!
Here are the links of the artists mentioned in this article, in the order of appearance :
