Jill's umbrella dress was one of a series of monthly fashion re-use projects featured on her www.fiftyrx3.com.

What was the inspiration for your umbrella dress?
I'd been thinking about sustainability and style for a while and had come across Tiffany Tomato's skirt with umbrellas. I wanted to do something where you wouldn't be able to tell the origins as much. I was also needing to do something for design project for a draping and pattern making class at FIT. The theme was 50's masquerade and I decided to do a Balenciaga inspired silhouette with the black umbrella fabric.

What was your collection process?
I sent out an email asking for people's old umbrellas. I didn't get much response so collected them all in three arm-fulls myself after a blustery storm. There were so many, I had to leave some behind. I stopped and cut fabrics off on the street. My friend gave me some colored ones that I haven't used yet. Maybe they will become tote bags in the very near future.

What was it like to work with the fabric?
The dress only used two or three umbrellas, and the jacket only one with scraps. It was interesting to sew. It's not a woven, and has a plasticy feel. People think it looks like silk, which is funny.

It was definitely an experience trying to figure out how to sew and mark. The shape is a dome, so figuring out how to make it on the flat was challenging. The seams run horizontal, providing a design element. Otherwise I would have had to cut it again and make a flat piece... It was definitely time-consuming.

How do people respond to the dress?
The response to the dress has been very positive. People are usually surprised to learn it is made from umbrellas. I like to wear it out because people might want to talk about it, and because people might visit the site and find an accessible route to sustainability.

What's next for you and fiftyrx3?
I feel fiftyRx3 combines design, art and craft with writing and activism to examine our relationship with what we wear, especially from an environmental perspective, yet I don't feel any one of the above terms defines me or my work entirely at this point. I will continue my year "perusing the crossroads of style and sustainability" and hope sharing my project may influence people to think about the origins of what they wear, what it is made from and who it is made by. Beyond that, my future is uncertain, but full of possibilities.

We'll keep watching! Check out Jill's most recent project, creating a dress from two T-shirts in 30 minutes. :: fiftyrx3