Rethinking

Rethinking fashion

Historically, cotton was considered a precious material with a long life span. In contrast to the short lifetime of today’s ‘fast fashion’, clothes made of cotton were passed down through generations. The project aimed to raise awareness among students about the value of virgin cotton fibers, as produced by the farmers working with Raddis Cotton.

Students from Zadkine College and the ECAS developed questions about the importance of clothes for their peers. The Zadkine College students drew inspiration from a workshop held at the Museum Rotterdam depot, where they explored themes such as the value of cotton, my favorite item, identity, cultural appropriation and uniforms. The students at ECAS engaged with these questions and  created their own questions for their peers in Rotterdam.

Zadkine College students at a workshop at the depot of Museum Rotterdam. Photo: Erik de Maaker.

Poster inside the Adhithiya factory raising awareness about the need for a sustainable future. Photo: Erik de Maaker.

Valuing garments

Students at Zadkine College (Rotterdam) were introduced to the project. Afterwards, they went to Museum Rotterdam’s depot for a workshop and formulated several questions for their peers in Erode.

Zadkine College students get an introduction on the collection of Museum Rotterdam. Prodution: LGGB team.

Museum Rotterdam curator Mayke Groffen in a workshop with Zadkine College students. Photo: Leonie Sterenborg.

Zadkine College students examining items in Museum Rotterdam’s collection. Photo: Leonie Sterenborg.

Zadkine College students formulate questions for the students in Erode. Production: LGGB team.

Questions from Zadkine to ECAS

These questions were formulated by the students from Zadkine College for their peers at ECAS.

The value of cotton

  1. Do you use cotton as much as we do?
  2. What do you know about cotton and how do you feel about it?
  3. Is recycled cotton also used (as a raw material) in India?
  4. What is the price of cotton?

My favorite item

  1. What is your favorite item?
  2. What do you do with your favorite item?
  3. Do you still wear your favorite item after it is worn out?
  4. Do you buy garments for a single (festive) occasion? And do you wear them again afterwards?
  5. Do you reuse or remake special garments to wear at other occasions?

Cultural appopriation
What do you think of foreign people who wear garments from your culture, such as a sari?

Identity
What do you especially like about your fashion culture that you would like to share with us?

Student interactions during a workshop at the Museum Rotterdam’s depot. Photo: Erik de Maaker.

Uniform

  1. Do you wear a uniform at school? If so, is there anything you would like to change?
  2. Do you think it’s good to wear uniforms at school? Why? And do you want to continue wearing a uniform while having a job?
  3. Do men and women wear the same uniforms?
  4. Do you wear a uniform at work?
  5. Do uniforms change per season?
  6. How do you show or express yourself while wearing a uniform?
  7. Is there an additional dress code?
  8. Do you feel you have equal opportunities while wearing a uniform?
  9. What is the cost of a uniform?
  10. Does a uniform make you behave differently?

Discussing at ECAS

The students at ECAS discussed about several dilemaas and thought about the things that really matter to them. Also, they engaged with the questions of Zadkine students and created their own questions for their peers in Rotterdam.

A class discussion at ECAS. Photo: Mayke Groffen.

Outline of the themes to be discussed at ECAS. Photo: Rachel Lee.

Group discussion at ECAS. Photo: Erik de Maaker.

Answers from Erode

Students of the Erode College of Arts and Sciences (Erode) discussed the questions posed by the students from Zadkine College (Rotterdam). This video provides an overview of some of their answers. Subsequently the students from Erode formulated new questions.

Students at ECAS engage with the questions formulated by the Zadkine College students. Production: LGGB team.

Questions from Erode to Zadkine

Here you will find the questions froms the students of the Erode College of Arts and Sciences (Erode) to students of hte Zadkine College (Rotterdam).

The value of cotton

  1. What do you experience when wearing cotton?
  2. Is cotton being harvested in the Netherlands? Or do you know another fibre that grows in your country?
  3. How is it possible that cotton clothes are relatively cheap in the Netherlands?
  4. How much are you aware of the use of recycled cotton fibres into new garments? Can you give examples?

My favorite item

  1. What is your favorite clothing item?
  2. Which color do you like most for clothing? Why?
  3. How do you dress for traditional occasions (such as a wedding)?
  4. And how do you accessorize it? Do you like to keep it minimal or go all out with jewelry?
  5. What is your everyday comfort wear?
  6. In India, we like to wear jasmine and rose flowers in our hair as accessories. Do you like that too? Do you have anything similar?
  7. Do you ever wear a garment you’ve designed yourself?

Identity

  1. Do you have a traditional, national costume? What does it look like?
  2. What creates your identity?
  3. What part of your identity are you most proud of?
  4. How do you feel about Dutch fashion culture?

Cultural appopriation

  1. What do you think about our traditional sari? Have you ever worn one?
  2. How do you feel about wearing other nation’s dresses?

Uniform

  1. Why don’t you wear school uniforms in the Netherlands?
  2. What do you think of the idea of wearing school uniforms in the Netherlands?
  3. Can you image what a Zadkine school uniform would look like?
  4. In which event you feel like wearing formal dress?
  5. Do the boys and girls dress similarly in the Netherlands?
  6. How will you treat us when we come to the Netherlands? Will you accept the way we dress?

Responses at Zadkine

Students from Zadkine College (Rotterdam), respond to the questions
posed by the students of the Erode College of Arts and Sciences (Erode).

Discussing questions at Zadkine College that were posed by ECAS students. Production: LGGB team.

Insights from Tales of a T-shirt

Tales of a T-shirt is an educational project where students not only learn about the production chain of a T-shirt – from seed to garment – but also rethink their relationship with the clothes they wear. In the project, students have engaged with  these ideas by answering questions about the ‘Freedom’ T-shirt, but they can also apply this to any T-shirt they own. Does knowing how, where, by whom and with what intention a garment has been produced change how we value it? And, as a result, does this affect our behavior as consumers? Do we take better care of a garment if we feel emotionally connected to it? Do we wear it more often and keep it longer?

Below, you’ll find a set of questions that allow you and/or your students to think with the clothes you are wearing. Your reflections on how you relate to your clothes can help you consider ways to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable garment industry. Choose one of your favorite T-shirts, and answer the questions with that T-shirt in mind:
#All about you! Reflections on your T-shirt.

More inspiration

Need some more inspiration? Check out these examples from Museum Rotterdam’s collection:

A chintz dress

This chintz child’s dress, an heirloom from a wealthy family, exemplifies the European ‘Empire’ fashion from 1800-1810. The dress has a high waist, puff sleeves and a shallow neckline at the front, with a deep V neckline at the back. The fabric (chintz) itself is older, dating from between 1730 and 1770. The word ‘chintz’ comes from the Persian ‘chitta’, meaning ‘printed’ and refers to the hand-painted, glazed cotton from India. It can be adorned with large floral motifs in indigo, red, yellow and purple.

For centuries, cotton has been grown in countries like India and China. During the 17th and 18th century, the Dutch East India Company imported printed cotton fabrics to the Netherlands, known for their bright colors and lively floral patterns. Cotton’s comfort and washability quickly made it popular compared to wool, linen or jute.

Early 19th century child’s dress made of older chintz fabric. Photo: Museum Rotterdam.

Collection Museum Rotterdam, inv.nr. 20852.

Cotton

To meet increasing demand, cotton production expanded through the use of enslaved labor on cotton plantations in North and South America. Later, mass production of cotton shifted to rural areas of China and India, relying on cheap labor and driving down prices. While a cheap cotton shirt represents economic progress, it also reflects poverty and oppression.

Cotton itself is not inherently harmful. Growing organic cotton responsibly can restore and nurture agricultural land. By fostering long-term relationships with local communities, cotton can create better opportunities for more people.

Sample book

This voluminous book contains fabric samples from the Kralingse Katoenmaatschappij, an innovative cotton printing company that operated from 1720 to 1932. The company translated original patterns from Indonesia, Japan and Africa into block prints in Rotterdam. For each design a series of printing blocks was created to fit together seamlessly. By using different dye baths, they successfully recreated the look of traditional hand-painted fabrics. What was once a meticulous handicraft was transformed into serially produced textiles in Rotterdam.

Sample book, 1880-1900. Photo: Museum Rotterdam.

Collection Museum Rotterdam, inv.nr. 20984.

Uniform of a factory girl

This long-sleeved apron belonged to a factory girl working around 1915 at Van Nelle in Rotteram, a company known for producing coffee, tea and tobacco. The ecru-colored linen is accented with striking red piping. The red chevrons (the inverted V’s) on her sleeve indicate her rank within the factory.

In the early 1900’s, many girls for factory work over domestic service. Though the hours were long and the pay was low, factory jobs offered fixed working hours and the camaraderie of working alongside other girls their age. The uniform not only marked them as part of a team but also offered the possibility of advancement, symbolized by the additional stripes on their sleeves.

Uniform of a girl working in the Van Nelle factory, 1910-1920. Photo: Museum Rotterdam

Collection Museum Rotterdam, inv.nr. 79466.