Umbrella Redesign by Rainer Wolter

As a young fashion designer in New York, I rarely come across positions with designers who value sustainable design as much as they value “the all mighty dollar.” To balance out this unfulfilled aspect of my career, I have been designing on the side for Satya, a socially responsible clothing boutique in Philadelphia, PA. In addition, I am in the planning stages of starting my own line to provide fashionable organic and recycled clothing made in the USA without the use of sweatshop labor. My goal is to invest in local people and resources, creating jobs in farming, spinning, weaving, textile production and sewing without creating a negative ecological or social impact. This competition is one of the few outlets that allows me to combine my love of fashion and my passion for the world around me.

Gathering

All of the umbrellas used in the designs were gathered on rainy nights walking through the streets of Manhattan. In this city there are a multitude of abandoned umbrella casualties. After a heavy downpour it is not unusual to average one umbrella per city block.

Deconstruction

First, all fabric is removed with a razor then rinsed off. Next, the frame is dismantled piece by piece. Finally, skeleton pieces are grouped by style, size, and color.

Redesigning

In the redesigning of the umbrellas, I wanted to find a use for each individual part. Considering the major waste was in the form of the metal skeletons and not in the actual fabric, I designed in a way where each part of the umbrella became an important part of the design. Each part has an important role whether as part of the design, structure, application, decoration, or an accessory to the garment. In order to show the countless ways the umbrellas could be remade into couture garments, I designed an entire runway look consisting of a gown, jacket, corset, belt, accessories, and jewelry.

Techniques

The umbrella fabrics are very durable and able to withstand a great deal of abuse. To transform the fabric from its original state, I shred, burnt, melted, rewoven, pressed, pleated, braided, crocheted, cut, twisted, gathered, quilted, stitched, and reformed it. The metal was used as boning and other structural support in addition to being turned into beads, sequins, broaches, appliqués, accessories and other unusual design details. The plastics from the umbrellas were cut, melted and molded into beads, sequins, jewelry, and design applications.

Construction

After the design is planned through illustrations, a construction pattern is created through flat pattern and draping. A prototype is made to ensure accurate fit. Finally the gathered umbrella materials are cut and sewn into their new life as a couture garment.

Final Couture Look

-Diamond quilted jacket, smocked umbrella torso and puff sleeve

-Fortuny pleated umbrella skirt with full umbrella center crochet panels and umbrella flower embellishments

-Full metal corset constructed out of umbrella frames

-Red & black umbrella tip “bead” necklace

-Patchwork button up fingerless gloves

-Tubular umbrella roped flower belt

-Purse

-Hair wrap

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