When I recently interviewed Sass Brown, I found Gibbous Fashions on EcoFashion Talk. Gibbous describes themselves as a "miniature fashion house" that's committed to "harvesting the lost trinkets of the city" (they're located in the San Francisco Bay Area) and turning them into one-of-a-kind clothing from "left-behind" things - starting from scratch. Their work, often infused with humor, is very vintage in style.
The four designers of Gibbous re-use a variety of materials, like old Victorian clothes, stained silk slips, buttons, coins, and even keys. Their motto is, "From the freebox to the couture house." They turn discarded clothing and found objects into artful, playful pieces.
Each of their creations is made from piecing together layers of tattered and shredded cloth and often includes embroidery or hand stitching as part of the design. The pretty dress above is made almost entirely out of vintage scarves.
Some of their designs are pretty out there. Would you ever wear the Dinah Corset Skirt, above, with the garter hanging down from the back?
The signature skirt (above) is interesting with the all the different materials, patterns, and varying lengths of cloth. The mismatched stockings are a nice compliment to this outfit.
I like that Gibbous makes statements about the importance of recycling and moving away from our 'throwaway' culture and mass market fashion to a model that's respectful of the earth's finite resources. Maybe the best part is that they pursue their mission with humor, as you can see from the photos here.
So, the next time you're thinking of discarding old clothing, donate it to Gibbous Fashions instead. They're always looking for pre-worn items to reinvent.
You can see more on Gibbous Fashions or visit Swankety Swank in San Francisco.
I love the colors in the 2nd dress, too - just lovely!!
Posted by: Sandi | March 09, 2011 at 08:15 AM
Waverly, I'm sorry to hear that you couldn't buy the clothing. Have you tried emailing Gibbous? I bet they'd be delighted to hear from you.
Posted by: Sandi | March 09, 2011 at 08:13 AM
Just an awesome Patchwork. I like the second one dress with fresh colors. Others are also good but dress colors make them some what dull. Otherwise whole work is nice.
Posted by: cheap shopping | March 09, 2011 at 07:38 AM
I'm so inspired. Can't wait to make clothes like that. Tried to shop, and sadly couldn't buy any of the clothes depicted in your images, but they got my gears working for a new spring wardrobe!
Posted by: Waverly Tinsley | March 08, 2011 at 09:46 AM