Dear Old Coat: Sentiment, Stewardship, Sustainability
In much of the world today, clothing has become a disposable commodity. The current fast fashion system promotes overconsumption by encouraging consumers to discard and replace clothes at an increasingly rapid pace. The consequences of this system are dire. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 25 billion pounds of textile waste ended up in US landfills in 2018, an increase of over 50% since 2000. As such, fashion is one of the most wasteful and environmentally destructive industries. In response to this complex sustainability crisis, the historical narratives presented in this exhibition might help guide individual action to build a more responsible future.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution (roughly 1760-1850), clothing was typically kept in use for as long as possible. Instead of serving a one-time purpose, a single garment was remade, reused, and cared for—or “stewarded”—through different iterations. Mending, patching, and alteration have left physical traces hidden in plain sight. These timeless testimonies are easily overlooked as flaws in historical fashion artefacts. However, pinpricks of old stitches are enduring signs of cherished garments being stewarded across a long and evolving lifetime of use.
The objects in this exhibition date from the first half of the nineteenth century, just prior to Isaac Singer’s patent for his famous sewing machine in 1851. This period is marked by the dramatic transition from hand-sewn to machine-sewn garments, from home sewing to industrial factory production, and from careful stewardship to the origins of the current fast fashion system. In the face of this rampant industrialization, intentional care and attention reveal how clothing retained its sentimental and economic value. This exhibition uses the storied stitches of the past to interrogate the present and cultivate a more sustainable future.