Can You Feed Your Coat?
Basic information
Project Title
Full project title
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Project Description
Project Can You Feed Your Coat? is dedicated to the evaluation of exclusively local sources and the renewal of the tradition in sheep wool processing in the Czech Republic. Since 2018, I have been dealing with the issue of unused Czech sheep wool and I am coming up with the renewal of our very traditional production of Loden. Under the Linda HavrlĂková clothing brand, I provide clothes whose wearer knows their perfect local origin.
Project Region
EU Programme or fund
Description of the project
Summary
Project Can You Feed Your Coat? focuses on the development of the local wool industry, which was in the past very advanced in the Czech Republic. As part of clothing production, it is looking for an application for raw sheep fleece - a renewable sustainable material, which currently has almost no conditions for textile processing in the Czech Republic.
The textile and clothing industry has been one of the most important industries in the Czech Republic for many years. In particular, sheep wool processing has always boasted very high quality. The conflicts of war during the 20th century left their mark on the further development of industry, but the turning point came in the 1990s, when Czech companies were no longer able to resist competition. At present, there are really only a few purely Czech companies, and Czech sheep wool is not processed at all.
The whole concept of my work, on the border of research and clothing design, encourages a sustainable lifestyle that appeals to the origin of raw materials, locality and craft. Now I live on a farm where I also have a flock of sheep and, thanks to my own experience, I find the basic value of sustainability in relation to man's soil, modesty and humility to nature. I am looking for a level where pure sustainability and a scale of local production that can feed the designer can still intersect.
Key objectives for sustainability
The aim of the project is to restore local traditional production, especially Loden. I am interested in the sustainable development of the Czech wool industry.
I work mainly with the weaving mill in South Bohemia, which is the only one of its kind in our country and it is a beautiful example of preserving the wool craft. I support production in this small manufactory. Last year I managed to find a 'walken' machine in an older Czech company and produce Loden fabric. In my project, however, I explore other ways to work with what we have in the Czech Republic and at the same time follow the current international market.
The most important point in the project is the presentation of this say 'raw' wool material and its added value. Wool is a timeless natural and renewable material, which is why clothes are made using traditional tailoring techniques.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
In the project I am interested in timeless ephemeral aesthetics. The wool itself forwards a certain rawness and this requires a beautiful craftsmanship of the final pieces of clothing. Simplicity in design combined with the complexity of sustainable production. Friendliness to our environment is very important to me and that is why I supervise all production steps.
The inspiration point of the project is the motive of time and the value of human awareness of the present moment and the natural flow of time. I deal with the phenomenon of disappearance, ie the loss of perception of reality due to the acceleration of the world. I find the revelation of the irreversible present moment in the orientation of the mind of the human individual to the natural, periodically recurring time. Contrary to the dominant tendencies of globalization and time acceleration, I focus on slowed time, which is in direct contact with the local rhythm of nature.
The current inadequate acceleration of time and the fashion industry has no position here, and therefore the final product creates a very strong impression of the existence of the present moment.
Key objectives for inclusion
Another goal of the project is to offer fabrics to the professional public, especially clothing designers, and to integrate these fabrics into the Czech market.
We are currently cooperating with the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague and the Fashion Design Studio. This raises awareness of the issue of Czech sheep wool among the upcoming generations of clothing designers. In 2020, I designed a series of woolen fabrics for fashion students for their semester collections. In June 2021, the result of this cooperation will be completed. The purpose of the project is to point out the importance of the fact that clothing design does not start with the purchase of fabric in the store. This must be taken into account when creating truly sustainable clothing.
The project seeks to stimulate demand for local material and thus reduce production costs to a minimum. In the autumn of this year, I am also planning further cooperation with Czech clothing designers.
Results in relation to category
In 2020, I managed to produce the first Loden fabric, which has not been produced for our clothing industry for decades. This method of processing Czech wool is probably the most suitable for clothing purposes.
The project has expanded to a comprehensive sustainable concept that takes care of all the steps of fabric production, from the birth of the lamb, through wool shearing, fabric production and the final sewing of clothing. The project sets the overall lifestyle and offers it in the form of clothing to its wearers.
Thanks to presentations at exhibitions, I show the Czech wool in the form of a luxurious piece in a women's wardrobe. Unused waste, ie sheep wool, has become a beautiful noble material for I believe not just local clothing.
How Citizens benefit
I show Czech wool as a beautiful material that is worth having in your wardrobe. With this project, I try, among other things, to support local sheep breeders, who in the vast majority do not have a collection for sheared sheep wool. With the demand for woolen material, I try not only to stir up local production, but also to return the value of sheep wool to its value.
The real impacts are still in their infancy. The project is quite extensive and even though I have been working on it since 2018, the project is still waiting for visible results.
Innovative character
I process Czech sheep wool, which has almost no use, and certainly not in the textile or fashion industry. The Czech sheep wool is a little different than the world wool. It is shorter, coarser and greasier due to the alternation of seasons. Therefore, these fibers cannot be processed so perfectly. The biggest obstacle, however, is the small machinery of our country. The solution to this problem is the Loden that I managed to develop.
In the Czech Republic, no one but me has addressed this issue in such a comprehensive way. Czech wool is known only for home-made products from various small markets, but these are often products without any aesthetic value. This project tries to prove the Czech wave as a very attractive raw material for full-fledged design products.
Another issue addressed is a scale of production that is competitive. The processing of Czech wool is only a hobby matter for a small group of people. Therefore, the production of substances in this project takes place in minimal production quantities and tries to fill the gap in the field of local materials.
