‘The Wars of Our Time’

This collection was created for my 4th year graduating capsule, Mass Exodus. Created using five political statement/art installation fashion based looks which are inspired by the photographer Edward Burtynsky’s Water collection. Five of his photographs were used as inspiration from this collection, all of which showcase a different water crisis translated into garments. These garments consisted of dresses, body suits, and skirts and captured the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the Xiaolangdi Dam in the Henan Province of China, river deltas in Colorado, rice terraces in the Western Yunnan Province of China, and oil sands in Fort McMurray Alberta. Each of these garments were paired with an adaptation of a traditional civil war jacket made with navy velvet and embellished with gold details.

This collection was created with the purpose of trying to shed light on the reality of the wars of our time, which have become a war to gain and maintain the Earth’s vital resources, which are rapidly disappearing. By paring these garments with civil war style jackets and dressing the models in veils and army boots there will be a comparison drawn between what war was and what war has become and the importance of gaining recognition and executing change.