WARDROBE REVOLUTION WEEKEND: KAREN LUKACS
Image courtesy of Karen Lukacs
For the past twenty years, Karen Lukacs' work has been in response to the plethora of discarded textiles, the result of a cultural habit of over-production, over consumption, and thoughtless discard. When she began this exploration, the fashion industry’s vernacular did not yet include upcycling, sustainability and zero waste design. Resources are hand selected with an eye to their reinvention. Reaching for technical challenges and contradictions with these materials is her design focus: shaping knits into structured totes, enveloping hand-formed frames with silk neckties, reshaping garments into artisanal fashion. The Denim Collection began as a curious exploration into this iconic fashion item renowned for self-expression and individuality – denim jeans. Denim’s gritty richness reflects that of the beautiful Sonoran Desert, Karen’s studio home. Traditional mending techniques, inventive surface design, and piecing techniques are all employed to create new textiles from the various fibre compositions and hues. Original marks, scars and unique details are strategically incorporated into the new design. And garment silhouettes morph onto various body shapes and sizes, a rejection of outmoded sizing models. Her process follows a hierarchical design strategy that leaves “no scrap behind.”
Image courtesy of Karen Lukacs
As part of the Wardrobe Revolution Weekend, online talk on Saturday 8 October 2022, from her studio in the Sonoran Desert, Karen will share her journey, inspirations, and her explorations in textiles. From traditional stitchery techniques to her inventive work in reimagining garments, Karen is a practiced artisan with a passion for textiles and an unconventional way of utilising discarded textiles.
We asked Karen Lukacs for her advice on creating a sustainable wardrobe? Here is what she said....
"Consider your wardrobe an investment and less as a disposable commodity. Begin by spending time with your inventory. Know what you own. Try on everything, confirming those pieces you’ll continue to wear. Tend to items in need of mending, altering, cleaning, pressing. If a task isn’t in your skill set, ask for help. Store things neatly. Pieces no longer in favour can be reused, gifted, resold, tossed. The web is overflowing with how-to-do recommendations in each of these actions. Some discards may be suitable to transform into something new. Consider over-dyeing stained and worn favourites. Be mindful in purchasing. Think of quality and cost/per wear when looking at the price tag. Shop thrift stores and resale shops. Consider renting that once-in-a-lifetime outfit. Sustainability is about being mindful, making thoughtful choices about what (and how much) we’re buying and how (and what all) we’re tossing away."
Image courtesy of Karen Lukacs
Hear more about Karen's upcycling techniques to sustainable textile industry alongside other like-minded textile and clothing pioneers on Saturday 8 October 2022 at our Wardrobe Revolution Weekend. The event will be held on Zoom and will comprise a fast-moving Japanese-style seminar with 20 speakers, including a documentary filmmaker, activists, designers and artists, each of whom approaches the environmental crisis happening in our wardrobes from a different perspective. Book your ticket on our website here: www.selvedge.org
Image courtesy of Karen Lukacs
Karen Lukacs will be running a Transforming Denim Jackets, online workshop, as part of the Wardrobe Revolution Weekend on Sunday 9 October at 19:00 - 21:00 BST (British Summer Time). Spaces are limited so don't miss out and book your place here: www.selvedge.org