Manako has put on a show that introduced their art practice of reusing old plastic bags into something new, exciting and most of all - sustainable. The show, which was a collaboration of students was a success and hopefully it sparks a debate around the fashion industry.
The show itself consisted of many parts and surprised me through its original concept. First, we saw the designer, Manako Maddison, centre stage, standing behind their plastic garments that were showcased hanging on a string along the gallery.
The models act followed, with them walking along the garments, picking out which ones they might fancy wearing, essentially playing shop, with Manako the shopkeeper. Followed by an act expected from a fashion show, models walking the runway and presenting the garments.
The next act, subjectively my favourite, saw pairs of models meet and exchange their plastic garments and pose with each other’s clothes. A rather clever play on the fact that sustainability is not only in the materials we use, but also the way we treat them, and one of the best ways to be more sustainable is to share clothes and love what was once loved by others.
The show was also accompanied by posters which showed the results of a survey on sustainable fashion, previously organised by Manako. The survey, amongst many results, also showed that one of the main factors for people when buying clothes is the price. And since fast fashion industry is often cheaper than buying second-hand, buyers are then left with cheap and low-quality options that aren’t very good for the environment.
Manako further explained that sustainability is a choice, but it is not always one that is easily made for everyone, and often comes at a price. Manako themselves tries to incorporate sustainable pathways into their practice as much as they can. Using vintage shopping to hunt for materials or reusing things like plastic bags.
When they started thinking about sustainability, they often though about fast fashion industry and shared that they chose plastic as a way to comment on the problem of fast fashion.
Manako added, ‘I was thinking about how plastic packaging is a metaphor of the fashion industry, of its cheapness and tackiness’.
Manako has shared that this fashion show is by no means a final run for them, as they plan on continuing with their plastic fashion practice into the future. The idea is to make it even bigger and better for future shows. In the meantime, they plan to focus on their degree as well as their cosplaying practice.
They hope this starts a discussion of people making their own clothes and through that contributing to a more sustainable fashion industry. Manako is self-taught and has talked to audience members of the show, explaining that making one’s own clothes is quite accessible.
However intriguing the plastic garments are, Manako has shared they don’t fully believe the garments could be every day clothes. They see it more as a costume or a decorative piece, as the material is not very breathable for regular use.
The whole fashion show consisted of students coming together to collaborate on a project they all felt passionate about. The designer, Manako Maddison is in their final year of Fine Art degree at Newcastle University, and they were joined by models from the fashion society at NCL. The photographer, Pratyush Joshi, has volunteered from the photography society at NCL.
Kasashi, a fashion society model, has commented on the show: ‘I love how it is pushing awareness of sustainable fashion and how fast fashion is affecting our environment’.