Melanie Child, 21, studied at Otago Polytechnic, Dunedin

Her collection – Manufractured: A Sustainable Concept

Manufractured is a study into the simultaneous repulsion and fascination with consumption and its by-products – sustainability from a unique perspective.

The collection is comprised of five one-off designs constructed from everyday materials in multiples, materials often considered to be banal and worthless. Each garment involves a labour-intensive process from the sewing of the shell through to the application of materials. The chosen materials have been selected on a waste basis, sourced locally in Dunedin and are all industrially made, mass produced items. The idea is to challenge the way we see things both literally and figuratively. On a figurative level, the way we have adjusted to mass consumption and the subsequent ‘waste generation’, and to challenge the physical mechanics of seeing. The initial perception is of normal garments, and the deception is the realization of the actual garments and the raw materials that embellish them. The irony is the garments are constructed using products of the consumer culture we live in.

A circular theme is evident throughout both the surface and within the structure of the garments. This theme is inspired by the relationship between the individual and the anonymous mass – in art and technology as pixels, the fundamentals of all matter as atoms and molecules, and industrially as cogs in a machine.

“Because of the artistic nature of my garments, I wanted to present my collection as an artist would present their canvas on a wall. The modal under-garments act as the “wall” for my canvas, which focuses the attention entirely on the haute couture pieces. Manufractured is the current manifestation of my sustainable concept that spans fashion, art and beyond: the transformation of everyday objects into artisanal expertise.”