becca mccharen and emily kappes met in architecture school
at the university of virginia in charlottesville.
becca is an urban planner in lynchburg, va.
emily is an architect in portland, or.
 
 
reclaim:
raw materials are salvaged from
local thrift stores, friends, relatives.
.
deconstruct:
the garments are chopped up, sliced, shredded.
the sleeves come off and are ripped open.
the pants leg loses its seams and becomes a flat plane of fabric.
.
screenprint:
prints are overlaid on the existing material surface,
creating a new layer of meaning, a palimpsest of lines and images.
the new prints simultaneously add and erase.
.
reconstruct:
new seams guide the material to take on a new form.
existing seams, button holes, collars, cuffs, hems and gathers
are used as guidelines.
the flattened pant leg is now the bodice of a fitted dress.
the opened sleeve is tightened and gathered to create
an empire waist or bustle or a new sleeve.