Martha Carmona

Contact:

martha03carmona@gmail.com

University/School:

University of Northampton

Location:

Northampton

Specialism:

Eco / Zero Waste DesignFashion DesignFashion GraphicsHeritage & CultureMenswearSustainabilty

About Me

I am Martha Carmona, a University of Northampton Fashion BA graduate

I have a love hate relationship with waste; I hate the sight of it yet love to incorporate it in my own practice. As a designer I've accustomed myself to using the environment with as little an impact as I can through considering how the life cycles of my design will flow back into the circular economy.

My ideal future would be working towards a circular fashion economy tackling the wasteful practices of the fashion industry one by one. I admire utility and versatile clothing, as well as the crossovers with fashion and other art disciplines such as product design or engineering. Design is a key part of my identity as much as sustainability and upcycling, and I love the complexity of technical pattern cutting when it comes to bringing my designs to life. I believe fashion can can really strengthen a community despite its stressful reality, just as I had experienced the Fashanne awards 2022.

INSPIRATION

My collection BAYANIHAN celebrates survival as a means of community through upcycling

Bayanihan is the Filipino tribal mentality to pull together in uncertain times and demonstrate collective resourcefulness; inspired by Filipino resilience amidst colonial times, I am looking at the idea of survival as a community. Facing a plastic pollution crisis today, "Eco-preneurs" in the Philippines have turned adversity into opportunity through upcycling waste. As such I have been inspired to repurpose everything from hydration bladders, mosquito nets and hammocks to army surplus.

With consumers grasping their unsustainable habits post-pandemic, wgsn heralds “the end of more” commenting on the environmental crisis we face today. My sketchbook evidences the long history of sustainability in the Philippines, with traditional dresses employing sustainable fibres like Piña and Abaca, which are both local and abundant materials on the island. As such my collection aims to make consumers "become comfortable with uncertainty" and encourage upcycling waste.