refuse - Marijke Bongers

#liberationskirtchallenge part 1

This challenge is a whole fashion academy in a nutshell!

This year our studio is working on an Eco Textile Academy for fashion students and lovers alike. The online Academy will be a place where you can find a lot of small online courses on fashion skills and sustainability subjects. Think of pattern drawing, sewing skills, making a mood board, working on you own collection and most of all, focusing on doing all of this in a circular and sustainable way. The liberation skirt challenge combines all of the above.

Refuse, reuse, recycle:

Creating a skirt or an outfit based on the ideas of the Dutch liberation skirt is a challenge in itself. In due course I'll tell you some more about what the liberation skirt is all about. How will this challenge work? During the year I will guide you through the challenge and you will get tips, ideas and we'll share our progress on Zoom. You will get all the guidance and inspiration you need: from developing your ideas in a mood board, learning some stitches, to actually making your skirt or outfit. All materials used for the skirt or outfit must be recycled or reused.

Joining this challenge will help you to practise what you learn and at the same time you'll be exploring in what areas you want or need more skills & training. And we'll have a lot of fun of course!

Practical information on the Liberation Skirt Challenge:

The Liberation Skirt Challenge (LSC) will start on May 3rd 2020 and end on April 3rd 2021. The first Zoom meeting will be on Dutch liberation day, May 5th 2020, 16:00-16:40 Amsterdam time (GMT+1, currently GMT+2 due to daylight savings). Instructions given in Zoom gatherings will be recorded, so you can look at them later.

If you want to join the challenge, please send me an e-mail on info@marijkebongers.nl so I can send you the invitation for the first zoom meeting on May 3rd 2020. Or the first one that follows. (you can not join anymore, but can have a look at www.ecotextileseconomy.com )

First presentation for the challenge from the zoom meeting may 5th

the zoom meetings

first zoom meeting May 5 first short presentation about the liberation skirt

The pages of the second presentation from the zoom meeting may 5th

All pictures are taken from Pinterest. You can find the pinterestboards that I used under the links, down under the presentations, they will lead back to the owner. Please let me know if you see your picture and want me to remove or replace it.

There are more than one way to gather your ideas and help you to make choices

What if you make a collage, use a picture to visualise a model, use tracing paper?

If you already know what to say, black on white is always a strong way to communicate your message. You can be bold or delicate!

If you like old skool, or just want to leave the computer and screens for a bit. Make a notebook! Ad feelings, and words, or write a little story.

Yet another way is to use a wall and real flowers and ribbons and surround yourself with your ideas. Or don't make a anything at all, and start taking apart old clothes and drape them, play with them.

So, let it be yours! And why not...let it spark joy!

more info:

Liberation skirts: how post-war upcycling became a symbol of female solidarity

Inspiration on Pinterest:

inspiration to find a style of your own: https://nl.pinterest.com/marijkebongers/liberationskirtchallenge/

inspiration on the runningstitch and more: https://nl.pinterest.com/marijkebongers/lsc-hand-embroidery-stitches/

inspiration on making a moodboard, inspirationwall, visionboard or notebook: https://nl.pinterest.com/marijkebongers/liberationskirtchallenge-moodboard/

Podcast:

In Dutch, the first part of this very nice podcast is telling even more about Mies Bossevain-van Lennep. And about the liberationskirt and ideas behind it. I am getting more and more inspired by this idea and giving it a contemporary new life.

It feels good to use this inspiration of this brave woman and use it for us (now for all genders, #inclusivity ) to tell our stories or to share our dreams for this world, to show with your clothes what you love most, or for what you want to speak up through your clothes.

In the tekst are links that you can follow. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/nl/podcast/bevrijdingsrok?utm_campaign=uitnodiging&utm_medium=email&utm_source=20200505_nb_MEI&fbclid=IwAR2njSr5kqLAyPj5v6_buV0F50F2rThpQHKLSBki_xx1s9bCbgeQvJ8-PA8

Skills:

This is a video about the running stitch and using it for mending your cloth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6t19DCoNMU&fbclid=IwAR3CvVnZ0KSKIhHEIYHBXBOvKIVwpQMgSViTlg6fXWsgORds4tiRffOUHj4

This is a video that shows a highly skilled Japanese quiltster doing the running

stitch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3hYTRBYML8&list=PL6B1FE3B7625CC479&index=5&t=17s

Update may 25

The zoom meetings will be on Tuesday evenings 19:15-20:15 Amsterdam time every two weeks.

One time it will be a meeting with a subject and one or two presentations. After the first hour there is 30 minute to stay around and meet each other. The other time is just a show and tell, you can ask questions and ask advice, and show what you are working on.

next zoom meeting is June 2 19:15-20:15/20:45 Amsterdam time and will be a presentation about Dutch history of mending and about Boro, a Japanese way of mending.

The date for next zoom meeting for questions is: June 16 I will send an e-mail with information needed and the link a few days before the meeting.

Do you want to donate for this project?

Thank you so much for considering a donation! This project is free because I want everybody to be able to join. I think making and mending our own clothes is one of the solutions against climate change and helps us to become free of the big fashion industry. By giving our studio a donation you encourage me to go on in this way. And more so you make it possible to pay for the things we need to go on. By donating you help to pay for the Zoom account, and for the costs of the website. Especially now it is not possible to teach the normal classes in our studio, your donation is highly appreciated! Thank you so much! xxx Marijke

[doneren_met_mollie]