Kelly Lottahall on making art out of old clothes and bringing the fashion & art worlds together to tell stories about *waste culture*

In episode 285, Kestrel welcomes artist and illustrator Kelly Lottahall to the show. An artist and illustrator, Kelly incorporates preloved textiles and scraps into her unique works of art.

“It’s so like not that significant to most people, but for me — when it’s an item, a shirt, anything that’s used … this doesn't have to be vintage, I’m talking about stuff that’s just regular old stuff people don’t want. Not like vintage that’s 30 years old and super cool because it’s another era — no, I’m talking about like 10 years ago and you don’t care about it anymore. I’m like no, but I do — that could be really really cool, are you kidding me?” -Kelly

Have you ever noticed how the fashion world often orients itself as very separate from the art world?

They are obviously intertwined, and we see some overlap in the mainstream, but there tends to be a very distanced relationship – especially in the way that the fashion industry disregards the artistic aspects of fashion. 

Here’s a couple examples –

• Garment construction has been devalued and not treated as though it is a REAL art form – both in the way sewers are paid (so often less than a living wage) when they are true artists; and also in how the industry has reduced our perceived *value* of garments through fast fashion and lower prices.

• There is the way that traditional fabrics and garments (which literally ARE art) have been disrespected and/or appropriated for the sake of commercialism – so stealing cultural fashion art and then replicating it in a way to simply make a profit off of it (in turn, totally detaching it from its artistic roots).

This week’s guest is literally BRINGING the fashion and art worlds together through her unique craft, and she’s repurposing quote unquote *trash* while doing it.

As she says –

“I like finding old things and turning them into new things. I like gadgets that used to work that don’t anymore. I like clothes that are too old to wear the original way, that can be recreated in a new way.”

Quotes & links from the conversation:

• “I think there is something in me — there’s just this natural connection with somebody’s lived in story.” -Kelly (9:36)

• “The biggest thing we need to understand is that our culture — we just consume so much, excessively consume so much stuff that we just don’t have to have. But we also have to understand that brands — fast fashion brands — they also know this about us, and they’ve made it so easy for us to just click and buy the second we think about it.” -Kelly (32:14)

• “A Photographer, A Stylist, And An Artist” collaboration

• Kelly’s Website >

• Follow Kelly on Instagram >