Fashion Basketry by Wiriya Techapaitoon

          From traditional hand-woven cloths, household basketry and simplest garment pattern, to seamless body-moulding Fashion

First of all I would like to talk a little bit about my studio work. What I’m doing is to ‘basket’ the clothes and to interpret traditional clothing skill into modern language. The material I’m using at the moment is cotton webbing. Many household implements that contain basketwork such as cooking fans, toys, steaming bowls, or sleeping mats are studied and experimented on how the elders learnt to finish the rim or how to hide the joining mark. As my project is to explore new ways that clothing, at the same time, can revive both the traditional Thai clothing pattern and the domestic basketry skills, I see this process as Design To Reduce Energy and Water Use, Design for Ethical Production and Design Activism.

Design To Reduce Energy and Water:

By applying the basketry to the textile production, the sewing part has eventually been removed since all the materials are the strips that run around over the patterns. I designed the entire weaving angle to 45 degree on purpose so that the strip won’t get stuck when it comes to the edge; the strips will be folded to the opposite direction and carried on their jobs. At this point the strips can be any materials; customised or upcycled, natural or synthetic.

              

Design for Ethical Production:

The pattern itself is also very simple to create; the traditional Asian tunic pattern is made of just one piece of paper, folded, centre-front cut for opening, neckline, without sleeve pattern done separately. These strip works and flat pattern are basically the mat hand weaving. This mat hand weaving skill, or any other hand crafting skills, is dying slowly in Thailand. This project has potential to give them back the jobs. My pattern at the moment is made out of just one paper for both front and back. It’s easy to learn. Time saving and energy saving. It’s very plain. It will suit many workers’ basic skills.

This proposal will be sent to many textile producers in Thailand. They will be asked to produce the strips which can be both cotton and silk, very thin or super texture. All materials will be made in Thailand.

Design Activism:

The entire cloth-basketry process will be recorded by taping and photography. My next step is to create the ‘Cloth-Basketry Kit’ that anyone can do at home. By using local textile material such as cotton and silk this clothing is suitable for Thai weather and the gaps between strips make a really breathable piece. Changing and mixing the strips’ quality can make the piece different and contemporary. I’m hoping to see both wearable tops made out of just cotton webs and at the same time a luxury gown made of lavish silk strips.

basketizer@hotmail.com