JOIN Collective Clothes
Shape J (top), I (pants) by Chet Bugter, Femke de Vries, Julia Berg, Lu Lin.
JOIN Collective Clothes workshop in collaboration with MA Critical Fashion Practices, ArtEZ University of the Arts, Arnhem, NL (2019). Photography Anouk Beckers.
This ongoing research project explores fashion as a collective practice, focusing on making and wearing clothes together. The essential tool of the project is an open-source modular clothing system that consists of four different shapes: top (J), sleeve (O), trouser leg (I), or part of a skirt (N). Anyone can participate by choosing one of these shapes and making their own JOIN piece which can eventually be connected to a piece made by another maker. The simplicity of the modular JOIN system, which functions as the fundament of the project, is translated into an open -source manual, which makes it possible for everyone to join. Regardless of location and experience, either working from home or participating in one of the JOIN workshops, JOIN creates the possibility of coming together, sharing ideas, and experimenting with form, texture, technique, and material.
The possibility for everyone to join in as a maker and then to rearrange the parts of each outfit as a designer and wearer playfully but critically questions the characteristics of the fashion system. JOIN Collective Clothes therefore doesn’t only explore the technical side of producing a garment but also exposes defining values in fashion such as ownership, identity, originality, and authenticity.
The following images show a selection of the various JOIN clothing pieces made at various moments by different makers. You are invited to JOIN yourself by downloading the open source manual or by joining one of the workshops. Together, the pieces made by various makers form an ever-growing collection.
This project is an initiative by Anouk Beckers.
