My ethnographic practice involved making a fully handmade wardrobe based on the stories, concepts, and experiences I encountered in the field. This wardrobe will include seasonally functional garments (such as outwear), everyday clothing, and one special occasion garment, all intended to replace ready-to-wear clothing consumption.

Home sewing is a common activity for slow fashion community members and I use my practice to explore the material and technical dimensions of slow fashion, this includes learning about fiber content, garment construction and fit, and the many layers of labor involved in clothing production. As I made this wardrobe, I also shared it using my Instagram. This process is an ongoing way to connect my interlocutors. I position my sewing and Instagram practices as a creative and praxis-oriented form of participant observation.

Each garment in my portfolio holds significance to the project and is an entry point into the research questions I am asking. Like field notes, these garments are a material archive that I can come back to (and wear) over and over as I begin to weave together my dissertation.