Disturbance of the Stratosphere

Climate fatalism is a large problem globally–though it is important not to minimize the dire impacts that our actions can have on the earth, rendering oneself incapable of producing positive change due to fear is unproductive and harmful to humanity. For this project, my inspiration was a piece of positive news about the climate: the healing of the ozone layer. According to the World Economic Forum, the hole in the ozone layer could fully repair by 2050 due to legislation that limited the emission of ozone-depleting gases.

I wanted to represent this positive development in the climate through my design to highlight the persistence of the earth’s atmosphere despite our harmful actions and the positive impacts that consistent effort towards progress can produce. The aesthetic elements of my project combine with the thoughtfulness of construction and the natural fibers used to produce a garment representative of the modern climate movement.

My project takes advantage of the draped movement afforded by bias-cut chiffon, layering a slip and an overlay to create an ethereal, cloudy look. This is contrasted by the vibrant orange-red color surrounding distressed holes in the chiffon, a nod to ozone degradation, which fades slowly into blue. The neckline of the slip and the overlay are curved in a similar manner, creating visual unity. Finally, the holes in the chiffon are repaired through visible mending using sewing thread in the same white as the base chiffon, representative of hopefulness in the face of destruction.