Dania Chirino Weinraub

My final service design consists of the very beginning of a brand I hope to make in the future. I’ve been inspired by old quilts and textiles since a child growing up with a mother who loved to collect antiques. Inspired by this and my dislike for not only fast fashion but high end fashion, I thought of a way to combat these issues. I worked with small vendors/sellers online, finding old textiles, specifically quilts that were falling apart. I related this process back to a memory of my childhood. My mother would take me to antique warehouses/ shops, sometimes in the middle of nowhere and I sometimes saw old textiles all dirty and falling apart, usually just sent to the dump if not sold. Because of this I tried to search for old stained scrap fabrics that I could use and give another life to.

I wanted to start off this concept by buying nothing new. I used thread I already had, not caring what color I use, I just wanted to use what I already had not given into the “buying” climate we live in. I used all vintages used materials for the outside of the coat and a stained bed spread found at a goodwill for $2.99 for the inside.

I used old scraps from quilts and old quilt blocks as well. I also had vintage patches I collected as a young child and buttons my aunt once gave me. I also found old crochet “potholders” I used as makeshift pockets attached to the belt.