Wardrobe Therapy is our New Favorite Kind of Therapy!


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Serious Style Inspo in our new favorite therapy session…wardrobe therapy!

When we recently interviewed Seattle based designer/artist Janelle Abbott she shared with us one of her practices that she calls Wardrobe Therapy. And as she explains, “I am obsessed with reclaiming cast off materials for the purpose of radical creative regeneration. For the health and future of our planet, I see no other way of creating work.

The Wardrobe Therapy project is one way I help reduce textile waste by offering a transformational service for private clients. 3.8 billion LB of post consumer textiles end up in landfills annually—and that number is rising. Honoring the narrative and sentimental value of clothing is a high priority throughout the process as well.”

“Wardrobe Therapy is like having a best friend help you upcycle your clothes. (IF your BFF was super creative with mad sewing skills!) ”

We pulled a few from instagram complete with Janelle’s captions. Check them out and be inspired.

 

 

Final look for Wardrobe Therapy with Bonnie/ @pewp_awn_yew 💓 The rest of @officialinagarten plaid shirt and the Bruce Lee tee became the lil’ romper that Bonnie is seen modeling here. Originally, we had planned to make a pair of pants out of these pieces, plus a pair of striped low rise Bebe pants. But sometimes, as the work begins to take shape, it assumes a direction and life of its own. We scraped the Bebe pants and used the arm holes of the plaid shirt to form the crotch of the romper, and everything else seemingly fell into place. It’s a bit of a jungle gym to get in and out of, but it’s totally worth the struggle once this piece is on the body. Thank you, Bonnie, for trusting me to take this piece off the rails— I couldn’t have dreamed it up if I’d tried!

photos courtesy @pewp_awn_yew

 

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Welcome to Wardrobe Therapy with @wakeupitsdawn 🌿🌸🌿 MistyDawn grew up wearing a lot of hand-me-downs, being 4th of 7 kids. They spent 4th-10th grade in a uniform then graduated into a ‘confused’ style in high school, where the goal was to “keep with what others were wearing.” That changed when 6 years ago MistyDawn chose to stop shaving and stop wearing make-up. Initially MistyDawn was self conscious but committed—eventually after moving to Seattle 2 years ago, MistyDawn joined an intentional community, started farming, felt increasingly affirmed by those around them, began exploring non-binary gender expressions, and has finally found their fashion life’s pursuit: discovering how to seamlessly meld the utilitarian farm aesthetic of overalls and work boots with their art femme weirdo ways. Maybe this jumpsuit is one solution? It began as…*Oversized striped button up from DC thrift store ‘Frugalista’ that MistyDawn wore for NYE this year *Black lace top from Value Village bought last year, but never worn because it was too delicate *Lower portion of a dress that MistyDawn had cropped into a top because they loved the pattern but didn’t like the original fit 🌿🌸🌿 Together these pieces have become a dynamic and transformational sheer front jumpsuit (styled with foliage and greens from MistyDawn’s garden in order to be IG appropriate 😜) The top unbuttons from the pants so you can wear the pieces separately—back detailing includes a gold chain connecting the reverse collar. I have to say, I love how this piece turned out! It lives beyond gender and typifies the intersectionality of MistyDawn’s two selves—the farmer, the artist, combined.

Photos of Misty Dawn by @melcartermelcarter

WARDROBE THERAPY EXPLAINED –images by Janelle

WARDROBE THERAPY EXPLAINED –images by Janelle