Twirling, Shifting by Chriss Slevin

Atmospheric Conditions

As a child growing up on the Great Plains, I was fascinated by the skies – how sparkling and crystalline they might appear on a cold clear winter day or how ominous and brooding they could look before a ferocious summer thunderstorm.

For this garment, I drew inspiration from the twirling, shifting shape of the tornado, with all the strength and fury implied in that form. I adapted this shape into a garment that is really more in keeping with an urban environment, a reference to the power of natural forces that have the ability to reach us in New Orleans or New York City just as easily as Dorothy’s family farm in Kansas. The dress is designed for the city dweller, something stylish that offers protection and looks strong and beautiful.

Overlapping strips of reclaimed umbrella fabric are sewn together to form the fitted bodice and floor length full skirt. For the shoulders and hood, I developed a knit fabric made by blending two yarns, Ingeo and Tencel. Ingeo is a corn-based compostable yarn from renewable resources, and Tencel is a biodegradable yarn from wood pulp made in a closed loop, no-emissions production process.

Umbrella Harvesting

Most people who trash their umbrella on the street do so because of umbrella malfunction. To gather umbrellas, recovery bins could be set out on street corners and near umbrella vendors before rainy weather. Water sensitive inks could be used to make signs, visible only during rainstorms, asking pedestrians to deposit their broken umbrellas. Like a newspaper route, urban youth could be engaged to monitor the recovery bins and bring the contents to a neighborhood center for pay. This would provide an opportunity for young people to get involved in recycling, while at the same time keeping trash off the street, and reclaiming useful material. Whenever it rains, the umbrella crop grows.

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