Hear no evil, see no evil, wear no evil.

Lisa McEwan

Hear no evil, see no evil, wear no evil.

Lisa McEwan

New Zealand / Auckland University of Technology

Hear no evil, see no evil, wear no evil: challenging the use of non-human animals for fashion.

Throughout history, fashion trends have reflected the socio-political climate of the time. Recently we have seen a dichotomy, with fast fashion dominating the fashion retail sector, but fashion discourse increasingly focusing on the ethics and environmental impacts of the clothing we wear. In 2013, the Rana Plaza disaster exposed the plight of globalised garment workers; at the same time, consumers are increasingly cognisant of the environmental consequences of textile manufacture, use and disposal. One aspect that has largely escaped scrutiny, however, is the use of non-human animals in clothing production (Sorenson, 2011). For over 40,000 years, humans have used the skins and other parts of non-human animals for both essential clothing and adornment (Arsuaga, 2009). While many cultures now eschew the use of exotic animal parts (Van Uhm, 2018), the hair, feathers and skin of domesticated species appears to be ‘fair game’.

This presentation introduces two examples of practice-led fashion research that seek to challenge these belief systems. The first, a digitally printed garment exhibited as part of The Intellectual Fashion Show 2016 (New Zealand Fashion Museum, (n.d.), prompts the viewer to interrogate their acceptance of leather as the material of choice for premium fashion footwear. The second, a suite of costumes for a contemporary dance work called MEAT, was part of a collaborative effort to inspire discourse around the use of non-human animals for food, entertainment and clothing (Dance Plant Collective, n.d.). In each case, the message is visually explicit, but is also delivered with some restraint. This presentation will articulate some of the ethical and environmental arguments against the use of non-human animals that were evoked by these practice-led works. It also explores the role of practice-led fashion research as a critical intersection between fashion practice and contemporary fashion discourse.

Credits

Collaborators and photographers:

Costume for a Noble Discontent images used with permission from the New Zealand Fashion Museum. Photography by Fraser Chatham.

MEAT images used with permission from Dance Plant Collective. Photography by Peter Jennings.

Bio: Lisa McEwan

email: lisa.mcewan@aut.ac.nz

Lisa McEwan is a senior lecturer in Fashion Design and Design for Sustainability at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. Her research platform is transformative design and includes participatory research projects designed to address job insecurities in the local fashion industry as a result of globalised trade. Her current practice-led research uses clothing design as a vehicle for socio-political commentary, exploring themes such as social inclusion and the rights of non-human animals. Lisa’s garments have been exhibited both nationally and internationally, and an early work, La Bombe (1988), designed as a protest against the French nuclear tests in the Pacific, was recently purchased by Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum of New Zealand.