Studio to Soil
Category: Apparel
Competitions: Fashion Competition 2025
My name is Mia Wanaka Brimilcombe-Cowie. I'm graduating from CSM BA Womenswear this year. My collection specialised in the developing of bio-materials which I made from materials such as cornstarch and agar powder. It is fully compostable and utilises different techniques that I developed over the course of a year. The colours and designs are inspired by my childhood, growing up in the countryside around artists and performers. My intention is to bury the entire collection after the show as its composition means it is not only compostable but also very nutrient dense. It is important to me that the collection is fully compostable to show that the experience and documentation of each garment's life cycle is more important than the owning of fashion as object. The structural, sculpted elements in the collection are made through casting using my own paper moulds which I used as a base to dry my cornstarch bioplastic. The translucent fluid shapes are formed using my agar bio-plastic. The fabrics used are natural silk and silk organza. The colours are all created from food colourings. The collection plays with the idea that sustainability in fashion means the need for longevity and durability. Longevity can only be sustainable if we choose to keep the clothing we buy without being swayed by the desire for newness that is continually thrown at us. This collection instead is designed to be disposed of. I see no need for it to exist after the show. I started learning about biomaterials about a year ago where I began experimenting with different recipes to create a range of samples. As the materials for each garment I made from scratch, the making time starts from the combining and heating of the raw materials which takes a fairly short amount of time requiring a low amount of energy. The next steps are drying the materials by pouring or spreading onto my chosen surface or mould, working quickly to ensure the material does not dry before I’ve got it into the right areas of the surface. Then depending on the composition, thickness and surrounding conditions, drying time can take between one to ten days before the materials can be removed, cut and stitched together.
