The process of eileen fischer upcycle was a challenging but intriguing project. I had confidence once I pick out two garments I adored, soon I realized that one of them was not practical. Eileen and I have a very different outlook on aesthetics. I do admire all of her sustainable efforts and her branding, the original corporation of sustainability. She has a classic style that lasts with many different elements of sustainability roped into the fabric. I ended up choosing a cotton jacket that is double sided one side grey with a running stitch detail on the front and a yellow-green lining on the inside and a linen looking pants. The white pants I specifically wanted to have a fun time dying and incorporating the artisan style of a scarf in the floor of the Eileen Fisher store, which I ended up not using at all. I wanted to create an ensemble an entire look, however the whole look was not in the eileen fisher way.
I ended up with just the jacket for my pieces. The color of the lining was on trend since a bright green is a color on the market currently. In my internship, I am focusing on accessories, so naturally that is what came into play with the addition of the outer grey portion of the jacket. I turned the outer grey part of the jacket into an exchangeable handle bag. I thought this would be perfect for a lunch box or a trip to the farmers market since there is batting side. I was inspired by the bento bags that are out and baggu, the sustainable bag company. Ditching plastic bags is apart of the main four for starting a more sustainable lifestyle. Thinking about sustainability not only in the fabric, with 100% cotton , but also how the garments will play into the humans lifestyle. Why do they need it? How will this start their transition to a more sustainable journey? So I created this multifunctional bag that can be a lunch box with two pockets on the outside for easy reach of phone and wallet and another on the outer shell for a water bottle. There is a strap that attached from the sides with three button options on each side for an adjustable strap. I wanted this bag to be small hand bag, tote bag, or a tieable nap sack, no need for a new bag if it is an all in one bag. To finish it off, I sewed the jacket tag to the front of the bag, it says it's a small bag, but little will they find out it is more the a small bag tag, it is the jacket tag. This created some waste, so I decided once I have time to actually create a lining with instillation of the leftover fabric. Creating more insulation allows this bag to fully transform into the lunch box/bag of my dreams.
For the lining of the jacket, I created a light airy shirt that you can wear with a flattering neckline and ruched or gather down the front seam or Switch the back and the frog and have an even deeper neckline, with some interesting horizontal lines. This allows the neck to be shown with the help of a fitted center seam for no darts. The shirt itself is intended to be boxy and a bit on the shorter side. It is perfect for a pair of higher waisted pants and has a slimming bottom with an upside down v shape form the gather. It is boxy but fitted in the right places. It also has a lower back to get some air flow since it is summer, I am thinking about how sweaty your back gets, plus this allows no need for a zipper, button, or stretchy fabric to pull over your head to fit correctly. This also allows the shirt to be a layer option for tighter things to go underneath the shirt for the fall or layer it underneath itchy wool sweaters when winter comes around.The front was made of two sleeves, which is what allowed the “triangular” neckline and the back is mostly patchwork. The neckline has a facing from scraps as well as the bag that has some straps to help finish the loose ends of the bag and tie the shirt color together.