Flip Your (foam) Wig!

I love Halloween.  Part of the fun for me has always been figuring out what I was going to be, then rummaging through the dress up box as a kid to create my costume.

Increasingly I see so many people buying a costume in a bag & no originality... makes me sad!

Until today.

I had the opportunity to see Chris March's line of costume wigs for Target today. I think they're refreshing in a world that has become overloaded with a flood of licensed character merchandise.

They're a bit small on my medium sized head, but I think they're a good inspiration point.

Part of what I love about them is that they are definitely archetypes, and they also invite people to create their own character. I have some green foam laying around somewhere.. I'm sure I can come up with something.

Reboot in 3... 2.... 1....

Goodness I've been gone a long time!

Well, what goes around comes around., I suppose.

The most exciting thing I have to share right now is that I am both production designer and costume designer for a movie named "Nathan's Kingdom".  This short video from our Indiegogo campaign (now ended) has a sneak peak. This hero's journey is unique in many respects.  Artwork plays a large role.. combining live action, CGI and animation.

This week I'm in the process of designing characters and environments for the animation sequence.  Something totally new for me!  Never be afraid to try something new... it awakens other talents that may have been sleeping.

Today's oh my!

This is a Regine cabaret dress.. you can read more about Regine & her cabarets here: http://nymag.com/nymetro/nightlife/barsclubs/features/883/ I wish I could have found a photo of Regine herself... she must be/have been something!

Finally, I say Oooooo!

Fashion weeks haven't been particularly inspirational for me, this round. until now, that is.. check out the work of Amaya Arzuaga http://us.fashionmag.com/photos/photo.php?id_event=699435&id_photo&page=1 (Some people have told me you need to subscribe in order to see the photos. This site is free, and I haven't gotten bad mail from subscribing)

I love her nods to historical fashions, and the origami & architectural influences. I could see these runway looks translating into ready to wear in some pretty interesting ways!

Morning Segueys...

Nearly every morning, as I stumble my way through email, I do some research on costumes & fashion. Sometimes I find out some pretty interesting stuff.

Did you know, for example, that the apparel industry is one of the most wasteful industries, environment-wise? In some parts of the world, unwanted clothing accounts for 30% of items in landfills... ******30 PER CENT********* What's worse, is that it's only taken 5 years for this number to jump up from 7%, (which is still pretty high, when you think about it) (1) People, on average, throw away 67.9 pounds of clothing & rages PER PERSON, PER YEAR... That's two quadrillion pounds for the United States alone... woofie!
A lot of this has been due for the change in mindset of people buying fewer high quality garments, and more disposable clothing items. Just as time for many of us seems to be folding in on itself, fashion trends change faster than a blink of the eye... even before you get that bag home, it seems what you bought is already out of style. The retail industry, in general, has tapped into our primal urge to hunt and gather.. and channeled into the perceived need to go to the mall & buy stuff.

Fortunately, there seems to be a very conscious effort to reduce this. For example, many of the soccer teams playing in the 2010 World Cup will be wearing shirts made of recycled bottles (2). People are buying less.. at least for the time being, and being more creative about "repurposing" clothing.. by shopping their own closets, holding clothing swaps, de & reconstructing what they have, or donating & purchasing items at used goods stores. In Los Angeles County, there's now a recycling plant that has stepped up its focus on recycling unwanted clothing (3)

When working with clients, I'm increasingly looking at ways to pattern so fabric is used more efficiently, and using fabrics that have a lower impact on the environment. I don't use thrift store items as much as I used to. I think it's because more people I know are exploring the world of DIY, and reconstructing existing clothing is an excellent way to learn how to create garments.

So why am I posting this, when creating new garments or costumes is what I do to earn my keep? I think it's really important for each of us to be aware of how what we do impacts everything else. I want people to think more creatively about how they purchase what they wear... and really.. wouldn't you rather be wearing something unique, well made and classic.. made by an independent designer, instead of wearing one of 100,000 identical items?

I knew you would. :)

You can see my work at http://ateliersatori.com
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1. http://green-pepper.org.uk/fashion/throwaway-fashion-ends-up-in-landfill/
2. http://football.uk.reuters.com/world/news/LDE61P0TX.php
3. http://www.articlesbase.com/networking-articles/taking-textiles-out-of-landfills-579254.html

Photo of bags and bags and bags of clothing waiting to be recycled from http://www.kbtextiles.com/recycling.html

The Origins of the Platform Shoe

http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINTRE61N2E020100224

(sorry.. I tried posting the text, but it's just not working for me at the moment.. )
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Photo from: http://www.batashoemuseum.ca/podcasts/index.shtml If you like shoes, you'll be lost there for awhile :)

All in good time....

Until I have a moment to properly introduce myself, please visit my website at http://ateliersatori.com












Photo of my work by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia, April 2007.