Proportion London produced eco-friendly display figures for the Victoria and Albert’s Fashioned from Nature exhibition which explores both how the environment has inspired designers, and the sustainable innovations that aim to preserve its future. The result is concrete proof that the industry can become more environmentally aware without losing its provocative edge.
The long-standing relationship between Proportion and the V&A enabled them to work collaboratively to create befitting, sustainable solutions for display. Innovative fabrics that have a less harmful impact on the environment were used to create the figures. A biodegradable papier-mâché was formulated to make the mannequins’ heads and bodies which were covered in conservation grade paper, supplied by the V&A.
A combination of expertise and knowledge enabled the display specialists’ design team and the museum’s in-house fashion specialist, Lara Flecker, and costume conservator, Deborah Phipps, to produce environmentally-friendly figures to suit the slim-running, mix of 16th, 17th and 18th-century garments that include a 1860s muslin dress, decorated with the green wing cases of hundreds of jewel beetles.
Instead of crafting the figures pin-up hairstyle style from synthetic fibres, papier-mache hairdos were hand sculpted onto the heads, which is the first time this intricate method has been used. Eliminating the need for man-made materials, the technique also adds character to the earthy-toned clothing that demonstrate how fashionable dress was, and still is, heavily inspired by the beauty and power of nature.
Fashioned from Nature, supported by I Love Linen by CELC, with further support from G Star RAW, runs until January 27th, 2019, at the V&A: www.vam.ac.uk #fashionedfromnature
For more information on this release, please email: jade.wheeler@proportion.london
or telephone on +44(0)20 7749 1300