It all started when Jedda Bahloo was a kid. Digging through trash, attempting to find a piece of magic amongst the scraps.
Having grown up with few resources at her disposal, DIY became an everyday activity. It became a common pastime for Bahloo to dig through tips and find random objects to keep her entertained.
This collection reflects these times, and Bahloo intends to actively speak on the vast amount of waste continuously pumped into our bins. Furthermore, the human labour within the fashion industry.
“Sometimes these dark sides are hidden under the glamour of fashion culture. I want to bring it to the surface like I used to with the rubbish pieces,” said Bahloo.
Designing the pieces to reflect this ethos, Bahloo combined little scrap pieces that got thrown out and incorporated elements of human things that remind you of clothes made by humans, not machines.
Under the primary scraps is a collection of secondhand materials that act as a base for the exterior layer, a locally printed recycled lycra base.
The core piece, made of scraps, displays a balanced level of order between the chaos of each piece. This further creates another level of cohesion throughout the piece.
The lining is deadstock, contrasting the rough with a real line encouraging the piece's wearability to add functionality to the audience. While the trims are attributed to old bags, which Bahloo sourced from secondhand shops.
Further inspiration of being underneath the delicate veil of the industry played a role in the production of the lace piece. While there is so much waste and pollution, Bahloo wanted to express transparency to complement the lace.
Bahloo was brought up in Melbourne, where the company Clean State is encouraging her sustainable clothing journey.
Spending her youth finding the best of the bunch in rubbish in Melbourne, it came down to the fact she couldn’t allow herself to purchase from big organisations.
“My family and I could not purchase new clothes every week, so I would go out and find clothes, maybe jeans or t-shirts, and bleach and cut them up to create a new piece,” mentioned Bahloo.
In the next collection, Bahloo intends to investigate the waste and art combination further. Attempting to express the wearability of these pieces and that it could become a widespread phenomenon across different platforms outside of Melbourne.
