Meander
Textile.
Selvedge denim.
2022
Textile.
Selvedge denim.
2022
Meander is a textile exploration of what happens if jeans can’t be jeans. The project took pairs of denim that had been donated due to a manufacturing error that rendered them unsellable and turning them into something new. Through hours of meticulous deconstruction I posed a series of what if questions for the jeans: what if they were curtains, what if they were a couch, a carpet, a lamp? What if the jeans could speak to more than simply a pair of pants?
Eventually I came to the construction of a traveller’s cloak, a garment constructed out of 4 or 5 deconstructed pairs of jeans that would be both functional and speculative. It would serve as an inquiry into to what happens to perceived “useless” materials. Denim that would have otherwise gone to a landfill is repurposed to significantly extend it’s lifespan.
Eventually I came to the construction of a traveller’s cloak, a garment constructed out of 4 or 5 deconstructed pairs of jeans that would be both functional and speculative. It would serve as an inquiry into to what happens to perceived “useless” materials. Denim that would have otherwise gone to a landfill is repurposed to significantly extend it’s lifespan.
1. A pile of denim. 2. Denim as curtains. 3. Denim as couch. 4. Denim as lamp.
5. Pattern prototype of the top half of the cloak.
6-8. The process of reconstructing that which has been deconstructed. Reworking pieces of denim into a new patchwork that would eventually become a new garment. Pieces were made with the intention of producing as little waste as possible, working with existing lines and curves to make a piece of the pattern. 9-11. The final construction of the cloak, because it is a speculative piece there are raw and finished edges. It is reversable, one side showing the patchwork that incorporated the selvedge edges and the other showing the stiching that patched pieces together.
About Me
Hello, my name is Karla Erasmus and I’m an industrial designer currently practicing in Vancouver BC, located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. I graduated from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in May 2023.
Hello, my name is Karla Erasmus and I’m an industrial designer currently practicing in Vancouver BC, located on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. I graduated from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in May 2023.
Scope of Work
Over the past few years I’ve become familiar with a variety of materials and process and types of design. I’ve worked with wood, textiles, and metal as my primary materials but I love to explore unfamiliar materials. In addition to traditional design (furniture and product) I’m also interested in jewelery design as well as engaging in speculative and critical design.
Over the past few years I’ve become familiar with a variety of materials and process and types of design. I’ve worked with wood, textiles, and metal as my primary materials but I love to explore unfamiliar materials. In addition to traditional design (furniture and product) I’m also interested in jewelery design as well as engaging in speculative and critical design.