NAVIDARK: The Reality of Hyperconsumption
NAVIDARK: The Reality of Hyperconsumption
The problem of hyperconsumption of fast fashion clothing has generated considerable controversy on social media. It has even popularized the purchase of vintage or secondhand clothing, especially within aesthetics like punk and alternative, whose members refuse to buy their clothes from fast fashion brands. This inspired me to look for a way to recycle clothing. It has been an interesting process as I began experimenting with graphics that could conceal stains or small holes in discarded garments.
For this Christmas, I decided to create a special collection. A collection that reflects the reality of hyper-consumerism. A dark reality, often hidden in plain sight. Isn't it time we turned a blind eye to the damage we're doing to our own planet? This shadow and darkness surrounding the topic of clothing and the hyper-consumption that occurs especially during the Christmas season is what gave the collection its name: "Feliz Navidark" (Happy Christmas Dark). The base color is black, representing darkness. White represents the light of giving a second chance to something that someone else has already used. Red represents warning and aggression, but also the color that symbolizes Christmas.
For this collection, I started by looking for shirts I could upcycle—that is, make feel new again, even though they were pre-loved. This led me to find secondhand T-shirts, and surprisingly, for the same price as buying them new. It's incredible how a new garment can cost anywhere from $1.50 to $5 USD. This low price seems to reflect a reality where clothing is accessible to everyone. But these prices hide a very high cost: extremely low wages for workers (sometimes pennies per item), unsafe working conditions, toxic materials, and immense environmental damage (water use, pollution, waste). This means that the "real" cost is borne by the people who worked to make the garment and the planet, not the price consumers pay. It was incredible to realize that even though the economic cost may seem the same, it actually isn't.
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All the shirts were in good condition, so I focused on creating graphics that reflected the collection's concept. Rudolf played an important role because on Christmas Eve, when it was pitch black, he guided Santa Claus so he could deliver presents to all the children. His story inspired me to make this collection the first step on a path, a beacon of hope for a different world—one where we truly care about environmental damage and the value of every person. A world where no one is working in dangerous conditions, and where we can take action against the clothing giants who seem to believe that more greenwashing allows them to continue doing whatever they want.
After washing the shirts, we cut and sublimated the designs. This was the result:
For the packaging materials, I used kraft paper on which I wrote "Happy Navidark" and the size of each garment so that the client, who wanted to share the shirts as a surprise for her family, could distribute them according to size. The problem I encountered with this is that although the packaging doesn't generate any plastic waste, some of the packages got wet in the rain, creating a less than pleasant experience for whoever received a slightly damp shirt. :( I will continue experimenting in future collections.
Here are some of the collages I made with photos of the children who wore the designs.
If you have an idea or suggestion, please don't hesitate to write to me!
Sincerely,
• - ZIV