Coat of Theseus

Background: This project considers the mass-production of fashion apparel products. Taking into account research from Reader in Textile Design at UAL Dr. Kate Goldsworthy and her work on designing for better garment lifecycles, as well as her work with paper garments, this project considers the lifecycles of fashion items and proposes a speculative alternative. The techniques applied in this project are derived from extensive fieldwork with craftspeople in Japan, as well as the contextual and historical research of Fukai (2007), Omura (1999, 1997), and Katakura (1988).Contribution: The Coat of Theseus project asks where and when the value in a garment is produced? Is it located in the materials, or in the branding? As a garment ages, changes, is repaired and parts of it replaced, does it increase or decrease in value? Can we design a garment for a hundred years? In collaboration with Jake Nakashima-Edwards, 2 Japanese paper coats were made using traditional techniques. The coats were each labelled ‘new’ and ‘100 year old coat’, and were intended to show that a garment could be regenerated, its parts replaced or mended over time, rather than disposing of it and buying a new one. Swatches of paper were also presented in the exhibition.Significance: This is significant in that it contributes to the understudied field of paper as a possible material for fashion, and that it speculates about alternative systems of garment use and disposal. This work was exhibited alongside other speculative design propositions in an exhibition at the Melbourne School of Design. The exhibition has continued, and we are now developing the work into a new phase of production with an intake of orders, including from one of the curators of the exhibition. A catalogue (ISBN 978-0-7340-5504-9) has been produced with images and an essay demonstrating the work. The exhibition is also part of MSD's virtual collection and available for viewing via online virtual tour.

背景：本项目聚焦时尚服饰产品的规模化生产。本项目参考了伦敦艺术大学（University of the Arts London, UAL）纺织设计研究员凯特·戈兹沃西（Dr. Kate Goldsworthy）的相关研究，包括其针对优化服装全生命周期的设计研究，以及她在纸质服饰领域的实践探索，围绕时尚单品的全生命周期展开研究并提出思辨性替代方案。本项目所采用的技术，既源自对日本手工艺人开展的深度田野调研，也借鉴了福井（Fukai, 2007）、大村（Omura, 1999, 1997）及片仓（Katakura, 1988）的相关语境与历史研究。

研究贡献：忒修斯之袍（The Coat of Theseus）项目旨在探讨服饰价值的生成时点与场景：其价值究竟源于面料本身，还是品牌附加值？随着服饰历经老化、形态变迁、修复乃至部件替换，其价值将随之提升还是衰减？我们能否设计出一款可历经百年的服饰？本项目与杰克·中岛-爱德华兹（Jake Nakashima-Edwards）合作，采用传统工艺制作了两件日式纸制外套。两件外套分别被标注为“全新”与“百年老袍”，旨在证明服饰可通过长期的部件替换与修复实现循环再生，而非直接丢弃并购置新品。展览现场同时展示了纸质面料样片。

研究意义：本项目的研究价值在于填补了纸质材料作为时尚面料这一尚未被充分探索的研究空白，并针对服饰使用与废弃的替代模式展开思辨性构想。该作品曾与其他思辨设计方案一同在墨尔本设计学院（Melbourne School of Design, MSD）展出。目前该展览仍在持续推进，我们正将该项目推进至新的生产阶段，接受包括本次展览策展人在内的订单预订。相关研究已配套出版一本图录（ISBN 978-0-7340-5504-9），书中收录了作品实拍图与阐释性论文。该展览同时被纳入墨尔本设计学院的虚拟馆藏，可通过线上虚拟导览进行参观。