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🌓On lunarpunk living: making my own clothes

2mon 23d ago by slrpnk.net/u/SteveKLord in lunar_punk@slrpnk.net from thelunarverse.substack.com

I love textiles. I love fabric.

The way organza flutters through my hands and catches light, even in a dark room. Satin ripples, slow like a whale’s call. Velour fabric glints brightly as fresh snow.

When I lived in London I’d spend many weekends mooching round fabric shops, going straight to the bins of discounted off cuts. A quirk of mine involves feeling sad to behold rejected or discarded objects, and I’d take home random bits of impractical fabric, relieved it had been saved, and try to work out what on earth I’d do with them. And thus I began to sew.

In Berlin (but also before) I’ve made quite a few pieces that now reside in my wardrobe. They’re not immaculately hemmed or from an avant-garde pattern. To be honest, most of them have mistakes. But I love seeing process in a piece of art. Or maybe that’s a bit disingenuous, and the truth is that I’ve always been a bit impatient. Sewing, I’ve learned, is all about patience. And I think, I hope, it has made me more patient. After a few years and tantrums, when I couldn't figure out why my dear tiny sewing machine is all bunged up.

Lunarpunk living says fast fashion is dull. While individualism has been warped into a vast moneymaking exercise, my homemade experiments not only lets my soul sit on the outside of my body, but also encourages me to make what’s in my heart, and not on the Pinterest trends for the coming year. In an age of cultural homogenization through algorithmic manipulation, unpredictable fashion is even more important.

One thing I have realized as I look at my clothing is that a lot of what I own and love came from second-hand stores, or were gifts from people who wore them before. They carry that memory. I will adorn with a broach I was given or found, or whatever have you.

Something I would love to in the future start doing though is stylized patches on what is mended, to add that extra bit of me to other clothes.