| By Rachel Monique Maskell
It’s more than a dress
Hello Gorgeous!
Here we are, coming to the end of the year, the close of a decade, and ramping up the holidays. It’s pretty wild when I stop and think about it. Not that I’ve had too much time mind you. Being the end of the year it’s also the end of the semester and I’ve been on high drive finishing up projects for my finals.
The project that has been the most eye opening to me over the course of the past few months is my dress. It’s a simple shift dress that we are making in Construction 1. As we learn a skill we apply it to the garment: darts, sleeves, zippers, hems, etc. It’s this process that has me hyper aware of the clothes on my back and the labor it took to make them.
I think of the history and the past of what it took to design basic patterns. The math and geometry. The draping and sewing. Each piece of clothing has touched so many people’s lives. From the farm to the textile production to the factory floor. From the shipping to the marketing to the department store. Each thread connects us all and every day we get dressed.
It’s the simple things my friend, that we often forget that play such an important role in our lives.
May your holiday be bright. May you see the blessings and feel the gratitude of what has come before. There is still much change needed but let us dwell on the magic and the creativity to close up the year.
XOXO,
RMM