Sunday, October 16, 2011

New home - please update your bookmarks

I am now at timorissanen.com This place isn't going anywhere, but nor will it be updated. I am expanding :)

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Yield catalogue now available


The catalogue for the Yield exhibition is now available. Proceeds from the sales of the catalogue support programming at the Textile Arts Center, the New York home of Yield. The exhibition opens to the public this Saturday and runs through December 2.

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Zero-Waste: Fashion Re-Patterned - photos


Zero-Waste: Fashion Re-Patterned, curated by Arti Sandhu, is open until April 16 - that's Saturday next week, so be sure to visit A + D Gallery at Columbia College Chicago. Thank you to Jennifer Murray, Gallery Director, and Megan Ross, Preparator, for sending the installation photographs. I've also included some process photos.

One of my grandmother's sheets from the 1940s with the patching visible; I used two of these.

Some process for the pyjama pants (see page from Julian Roberts' book):

The final pattern:

Above, a paper folding exercise for the pyjama top and below, the final pattern.
The pyjamas in the exhibition:

Fioen van Balgooi (Refinity) and Berber Soepboer:

Holly McQuillan:
 

Padmaja Krishnan:

A Magazine - I used to give these instructions for a sock jumper by Maison Martin Margiela to my students back at UTS so it was great to see them included here:

Artisanal by Maison Martin Margiela:
 

Nick Cave:

Derick Melander:






Sunday, March 20, 2011

Just in case...

...I get some new visitors due to some unloved comments on a blog I adore, let me point you to the first image on a post I wrote on a problematic birthday three years ago. (I don't know if my brother knows he shares his birthday with the Turd, and I ain't going to point it out.)

It might look like something you eat but it's actually equine excrement.

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Zero-Waste: Fashion Repatterned at Columbia College Chicago

This morning I'm in Chicago to do a workshop and a lecture to coincide with Zero-Waste: Fashion Repatterned, curated by Arti Sandhu at Columbia College Chicago, on show at A + D Gallery at Columbia College. The exhibition is open until April 16th so if you're in Chicago, make sure you check it out. I have a pyjama set in the exhibition that I made from two heavily damaged and repaired sheets that were part of my grandmother's dowry when she got married in Finland during the Second World War. The work draws from my chapter, Designing Endurance, in Shaping Sustainable Fashion. Other artists and designers in the exhibition include A Magazine, Nick Cave, Padmaja Krishnan, Maison Martin Margiela, Holly McQuillan, Derick Melander, and Refinity + Berber Soepboer. I can't wait to see it! More on the exhibition here.

The gallery details:
A + D
AVERILL AND BERNARD LEVITON
A+D GALLERY, 619 SOUTH WABASH AVENUE
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60605
312 369 8687
COLUM.EDU/ADGALLERY

Friday, February 25, 2011

Shaping Sustainable Fashion

Yesterday I got my copy of Shaping Sustainable Fashion, the book I edited with Alison Gwilt. So proud! Thank you to everyone at Earthscan for the endless patience with my heinous schedule, thank you to Alison, and thank you to Amy Common of Sai Designs for the book design - the book looks fantastic! It will be on sale in the US in less than two months but available on Amazon already, as well as through the Earthscan link above.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

thank you

Coming to the end of an amazing year, it is time to acknowledge and thank the people who I've had the privilege to work with. Back in July, this neglected blog had 40 or so followers. There are now 102 of you. Apologies for the lack of posts (I was doing it but not writing about it), and thank you for your support. Many of you found me via the New York Times and Helsingin Sanomat. Thank you NYT, kiitos HS. I taught my last zero-waste class for the semester yesterday and there is still much catching up to do but just a quick thank you for the sustained interest and support.

After recent events, I didn't expect Julie Gilhart to be in my class yesterday so to have had her there was a beautiful privilege. My thanks go out to Julie (the students and I were blown away - thank you!) as well as to Scott Hahn of Loomstate and Rogan Gregory of Rogan, who also came. Scott and Gregory didn't just come to the class to share their wisdom and expertise; they made so many things possible through the semester, I don't know where or how to begin to thank both. Thank you; I cannot wait to have the next conversation with you both.

Students: thank you! Each of you went through such a unique process, and each of you taught me so much. Prior to the zero-waste course, I suspected this would be the case but I didn't anticipate the richness of processes you shared with me. Thank you; I learned so much from each of you. I very much look forward to each of you graduating, and making a change in this industry of ours. Please keep me posted on the work you do.

At Parsons, there are a number of people I want to thank. Fiona Dieffenbacher, Director of External Projects, emailed me in October 2009 about proposing a zero-waste course. I was still living in Australia, in the midst of a challenging semester at my alma mater, UTS. Safe to say, neither of us had any inkling of how amazing things would turn out. Fiona, thank you for your foresight, and the support throughout this year.

Simon Collins, Dean of Fashion, thank you. You make things work. Yvonne Watson, Director of Academic Affairs, thank you. You afford me the ability to see possibilities. Now, this might look like a suck-up to my bosses. I don't give a shit. Simon and Yvonne make good things possible and that's all there is to it. I'm just not sure they get acknowledged enough, hence my inclusion of both here.

Jonathan Kyle Farmer and Shelley Fox, thank you. You inspire me daily. A true privilege.

Caroline Priebe. You're such a gift. Thank you.

Kate Fletcher and Lynda Grose. None of us would be anywhere without you. Thank you.


Kathleen Fasanella. You're a guardian of the industry. Thank you.

Mum and dad. Thank you both for all of the support, and all that I've learned from each of you.

Heli, Sami and Juha. You're my bedrock. Thank you.

George. It's been an amazing nine years; I can't wait to see what we do together next. Thank you.

My friends: the other bedrock. Thank you.

There are countless others. For example, Holly McQuillan, Julian Roberts, Yeohlee Teng and Zandra Rhodes inspire me daily, as do Cameron Tonkinwise and Sally McLaughlin. Thank you.

2011 is full of possibilities. Thank you all.