This fast fashion cotton dress was hanging in my wardrobe for about 5 years without serving me. In her old format she created some negative emotions in me because I bought her around the time of my break up in 2015. Since then it remained an object that carries unpleasant memories.

Therefore I decided to experiment and try to give her a new life. I learned the craft of making paper with an inspirig teacher Marieke de Hoop in Papiermakerij de Hoop who showed me how to turn onion peel, plants, food by-products, textiles and also my dress into paper, however the real bounding with the new form of my old dress started when I got my hands in the pulp mass itself, while shaping little stones and pearls with my fingers. This way I slowly got to reconnected with my material in a new way. The initial negative emotion towards this garment was gone. The color was different, the shape was different. Something new appeared in my hands.

Even though I think that it’s better to inspire people to buy less and to buy high quality items, to avoid giving away or recycling if possible, I will continue discovering the potential surfaces and shapes of this transformed cotton material and the possibility to create new textures that can help, support, assist in new designs.