Fashioned From Nature Exhibition at the V&A Museum

I'm a huge fan and believer in eco and sustainable fashion; its vital that we incorporate more natural processes into our work to help us be more environmentally conscious. Therefore, this exhibition was always going to be one of my must-visits for this year.

The exhibition features a journey through history, starting in the 1600s and concluding in the present day, looking at the relationship between nature, ecological processes and fashion. Additionally, throughout the exhibition comments are made on the harmful and at times controversial processes used in the fashion and clothing industry. The curated garments and accessories also show how manufacture and production has changed over the years, for better or worse, and how we should think more and value what we buy.

Sequins made with 5000 beetle wings Circa 1868-69

Russian wolf fur and raccoon fur were used to make elements of these pieces. Circa late 19th -early 20th century

I found this exhibition extremely interesting. Some elements from the historical part were extremely surprising as i found fabric made from pineapple leaves, sea silk (the fibrous material on the exterior of shells) was used to weave gloves and stockings, and spun glass was used in the early 19th century as a cheaper alternative to silk fibres. It worries me that these processes are not widely used today, considering that they were thought to be cheaper than the fabrics they were replacing. There may be good reason why these are not used but these weren't mentioned in the exhibition. However, I did know about a number of the other recycling or re-purposing processes that were in the exhibition and it was great to see designer examples of these on show.

Fabric made from pineapple leaves About 1828

Gloves and accessories made from sea silk Late 19th century

Spun glass dress trimmings circa 1840s

However, it was the future portion of the exhibition that really captured my attention. Technological advancements in fabric production, dyeing processes, manufacture and many more developments were shown and explained; and a 'fashion futures 2030' predictor provided an interactive experience for you to choose how you would like fashion to be in future decades. You can see my choices in the video below.

This is a must-see exhibition for any one interested in fashion. You don't need to have an understanding of ecological or sustainable processes to visit but it is vital that you experience what the fashion industry could and should do to improve the harmful impact it has on the environment. Fashion companies are now becoming more conscious of their environmental and sustainable impact and are moving towards this way of thinking. Burberry. H&M, Stella McCartney and L'Oreal along with the British and Chilean governments have all recently signed the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment to "eliminate single use and and unnecessary plastic packaging from their entire business model" (Vogue, 2018). Gaining an understanding and appreciation of these ecological theories will help us all to embed these practices in our work to help us be more sustainable in the coming years.

Rootbound #2 dress by Diana Scherer (Made from oat roots)

Outfit by Christopher Raeburn (Made from 1950s silk escape maps originally used in WW1)

Outfit by Tiziano Guardini for Vegea (Made from grape leather)

The exhibition runs until 27th January 2019. You can book your tickets on the V&A website.

Reference article: Vogue (Newbold, A). (2018). Burberry and H&M are among the brands pledging to eliminate plastic pollution. [Online]. Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/brands-pledge-to-go-plastic-free. Accessed: 6/11/2018.