Session: Protest + Print, Winter 2023

Artists: 14 students

Materials: workwear jackets, embroidery thread, sewing needles, embroidery hoops, fabric scraps, fabric paint, paint brushes, spray paint, fabric markers, painter’s tape

Description: For the “Reclaiming Workwear” project, we partnered with longtime supporter Dovetail Workwear! Dovetail generously provided 2 types of workwear jackets for our students: the thermal trucker jacket and the Oahe work jacket. Because traditional workwear has long been designed for male bodies, it’s hardly a surprise that much of “women’s” workwear on the market today is ill-fitting, featuring cheap material and laughably minuscule pockets, resulting in a product that seems more like an afterthought than proof of an intentional design process. Luckily, female-led companies like Dovetail Workwear are creating clothing for tradeswomen…as designed by fellow tradeswomen! To reclaim workwear for female and gender-expansive identities, our students set about designing unique flourishes to the jackets themselves, using embroidery, spray paint, fabric paint, and sewing in the process.

Full disclosure: Girls Garage is a Dovetail Maven! To get 20% of your entire order, visit dovetailworkwear.com/_girlsgarage and use this code at checkout: _GIRLSGARAGE