Modular Construction

The expression ‘It never rains but it pours’ is the best analogy for what has been happening in my life at the moment. The sudden passing of my tutor and good friend meant that I was was left to pick up the pieces of the wonderful course that we had been nurturing for the past 12 years. It’s kind of sad that in our busy lives, there is no time to grieve properly and life has to go on.

However, I still think of him fondly and especially in what I do. From the questions that he would ask me when he taught me pattern cutting to everyday questions that felt like they had a simple answer but upon thinking, opened up a Pandora’s box of even more questions. This environment where I was constantly learning, experimenting and imparting my views led me to a point where critical thinking is the norm. That’s how great an educator he was.

One of the discussions that we would always have was about fashion design in the context of circularity and sustainability. He always mentioned that sometimes, to meet a particular brief, something has to be sacrificed. Unfortunately that’s usually the aesthetic of the design, as it can be expensive to make things look pretty and sustainable at the same time.

That lead me to think about modular construction and how individual pattern pieces can be changed and swapped for other pieces to either update the look of the garment or for reasons of wear and tear. Also, if the cuff was dirty, I only needed to wash the cuff instead of the entire garment. I experimented on this idea with a work jacket (read here) and an otherwise normal piece of clothing morphed and evolved every time I buttoned the pieces together differently. When I showed it to my late tutor, he was more interested in how I created the GIF but secretly, he must have known that he sowed the seed of curiosity that led to that jacket.

Based on the success of the work jacket, I decided to make a shirt. This concept also had an emphasis on circular design where all pieces are detachable and replaceable when they are damaged or worn. It also allowed me to play around with a specific pattern piece without the need to create an entire garment. This was a concept that I was getting comfortable with, especially when I look at all the clothes that I have made and thought I was making for the sake of making. It seemed a bit wasteful as I had a lot of garments that I don’t or can’t wear anymore. Modular construction would allow the garment to grow with me and gave me the conscience to experiment without making unnecessary garment.

In essence, creating something beautiful but sustainable at the same time.

In terms of the design, the strategic way I buttoned pieces together would create interesting drapes. I have yet to create an ‘non-standard’ pattern piece but I imagine that this would then change the way the garment behaves and look at the same time. I still have some fabric left and I intend to follow through with this idea.

As for the fabric, I used linen because of its green credentials. It also made the garment comfortable to wear for summer. The sleeve was also adaptable to the changing weather by the removal of the longer part of the sleeve to create short sleeves. This applies to the collar as well and I can take off the top collar to create a mandarin collar or a collarless shirt.

The collar took me 3 attempts before I finally got it right, which meant that I was sewing up to the very last minute of an event I was going to. This need to get it right was instilled in me by my late tutor and I can hear his voice in my head going, ‘Are you satisfied with that when you could do better?’

I’m glad perfection prevailed, as the shirt and my look caught a lot of attention; but the great thing was it enabled me to start a conversation and reminiscence with others about our friend and how little by little, he made all of us a better version of ourselves.

So wherever you are Patrick, you did make a difference!