I've not posted up a 'Meet the Maker' interview in a while, so thought it time I did so! This month's featured maker is David A Mumford, who I have known for many years but have had the privilege of working directly with at Fabrications over the last year both selling a selection of his upcycled fashion accessories and developing a range of sewing classes with him. Formerly one of the designers at Junky Styling, well known for their pioneering and creative approach to garment reinventions.
David has 2 classes coming up at Fabrications:
'Introduction to using a sewing machine & upcycling" on Sunday 21st June and 'Transform a man's shirt into a summer bomber jacket" on Sunday 26th July.
'Introduction to using a sewing machine & upcycling" on Sunday 21st June and 'Transform a man's shirt into a summer bomber jacket" on Sunday 26th July.
DAM: Since I was a teenager I have had a passion for making clothes. It all began
from not being able to afford to buy the clothes that I wanted to wear, and
being able to express my own individual identity. I highjacked my Mothers sewing
machine and started altering garments that I purchased at jumble sales and
charity shops. This has led to a career in fashion that spans four decades.
BM: What are your favourite textiles to upcycle and why?
DAM: I enjoy upcycling all materials/garments as its always a challenge to find the
best way of re-creating them, bringing them up to date and giving them a new
lease of life. Men's suits and shirts are great, because they have lots of
pockets and fastenings that you can re use.
BM: How do you find upcycling differs to traditional methods of garment making?
DAM: Upcycling differs because you are working with materials that already have a 3D
form, and to a certain extent less restricted by the rules of traditional
garment construction, enabling you to find your own methods of making and
designing by experimentation.
BM: What are you working on at the moment?
DAM: I am currently designing and producing a ready to wear collection of upcycled
clothing under my new label D.A.M I also accept private bespoke commissions. I
frequently run a series of workshops in schools, colleges, as well as
Fabrications to share my knowledge and expertise in Upcycling. This, promotes
creativity and extends the life expectancy of already manufactured clothing.
BM: Having worked within the fashion industry for over 20 yrs, do you think upcycling offers a creative solution to reducing the environmental and social impacts of 'fast' fashion?
You can keep recycling/upcycling pieces of clothing over and over again. Well
loved garments can always become something new and fresh. With a little
imagination, you can create something inspiring and beautiful that you or any
one else would never want to part with and send off to a landfill.
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