Reflection and thoughts on the Make{able} workshop at Recycling Factory

The past weekend was the final event of the long planned workshop 'Make{able}'.

Reflecting on the event, I am more than happy that I was able to be in the middle of the happening and could see the very active participation. The research on whether active participation within the design process will facilitate a change in attitude towards the garment appears to me in a totally new light. My intention was to research the possibilities of motivating consumer behaviour towards sustainability by enabling the consumer with new skills to become active users and creators.

Does making result in a closer person-to-prodcut attachment, and does it change the value towards the item? During the entire workshop time I had a very positive feeling about the making process, and that participants, as well as myself really enjoyed the opportunity to do things together and use our own skills and creativity to achieve, in my eyes, really great results. The mood during the workshop was amazing, very inspiring to see so many hands working together and enjoying tools and materials. Thanks a lot to all my helpers, they gathered a nice amount of photos. Over that I could conduct a lot of feedback for further workshops and my thesis research.

The feedback in general was very very positive. The range of participants varied from really skilled and experienced people who just used my patterns, to use it as inspiration to the ones that have used the sewing machine the first time after primary school sewing classes. But throughout all the participants, the concept of the half-way products was very much appreciated. As I assumed, it makes the entry point much easier, and offers the opportunity to achieve something nice in a shorter period of time, which is really important for a workshop setting within a fare for example. “It was easier than I thought, good instructions made it really fun!”

I was especially happy to hear how much the people seemed to already value their pieces more, due to the fact that they used their own skills and creativity to accomplish them. The research will be continued by a follow up question to see how skills and clothing pieces were used in the passed months. I was very glad to hear that that participants expect to have a very high value towards the item because they made it themselves. “The cloth (Tunic) has more value in my eyes, because I was also making it. It has a story now.”

Gathering this feedback and seeing the event resulting in such a positive appreciation by the users, makers, designers and participants makes me idealistically think, that 'Yes' a change in attitude and behaviour must be possible, using tools like participatory fashion workshops. Making really can, and must change attitude. Of course we can not always relate to the past and say, look we used to make all things by ourself's, they lasted longer as we took more care, knew how to change and fix them etc. But now we just need to adopt the idea and make it work in the current settings. Or better expressed - change the settings, making is and should be fun, its about how to get the people started.

To ease the starting point, the half-way items seem to work well and help to restart many participants. Most of the makers at the workshop had great plans for the future how to use the new gained motivation and skills in further redesigning and making projects. From visiting ones mom, to use the sewing machine, to future plans of joining a sewing club or seeing and using old garments in a different way. “Old forgotten skills were woken up. :)”I am very eager to hear, how the stories of the makers and tunics went on.

Of course here it social aspect of the making comes into account, it does not only offer to possibility of creating binding towards the garment - sewing seems to easily connect, and bring people together. Just reminding on the sewing clubs that used to be way more common in the past times. People would meet, have a chat, sew, knit, quilt etc in nice company, get tips, help and support by each other. Of course within the new wave of making culture, those clubs are emerging again, but not yet in an amount as it could be. 

 

Back to the workshop - I also tried to create as much memory and story as possible into each piece of garment, attaching a little label saying: value{able}, relating the expression of 'Value' to the facto of making it, the Make{able} workshop, and the fact, that this piece has a value, so you should take care of it. By offering the chance to fill in the name of the maker as well as the time it took them to accomplish the piece, I hoped to keep the story and memory up as long as possible. During the making process I had really great conversations and discussion with the participants, telling them the story behind the fabric, where it came from, and what could be made afterwards, if they get once tired of their tunic. The pieces are designed in a way, that offers plenty of participation for the user, depending on their skills, time and ideas, but also for the second, third or fourth live, I have suggestions that will be soon updated here on the blog. I am hoping to so create a strong person-product binding and an evolving piece of garment over time.

For now I will conclude here, but I can definitively say this weekend was one of the best and most fun for myself during this whole process along my still going on thesis journey. I realised I definitively enjoy working with the people and the materials, I got so many new ideas, thoughts and impression, I just have to find the time to put them down. (For more images please see the slideshow on the side)

Thanks a lot to all participants, supporters (www.defender.fi) and other helpers that made this amazing workshop experience happen!!!