Every Sunday I’m trying to take time to reflect on this project, not just what I’m making, but how I’m making it, and whether it actually lines up with what I believe in.
Last week I wrote about 'Doing what I can with what I have'. It felt simple at the time, but it’s been sitting with me more than I expected.
Because if I actually take that seriously, it changes things.
This week it’s been about rethinking direct-to-print.
At first, it felt like the logical step. Streamline things, make production easier, reach more people. But the reality is a bit different. To make it viable and to be able to donate anything meaningful to charity, the price of a sweater has to go up. A lot. Plus I don't want the price to be a barrier for people.
And, that never sat quite right with me.
It creates this weird tension where the intention is good, but the outcome feels off. Higher prices, brand new garments being produced, more stuff entering the world… all under the banner of doing something positive.
And I’m starting to question that.
Because if I go back to that idea 'Doing what I can with what I have' then why am I creating new things at all?
There’s already so much here.
Good quality second-hand pieces. Old stock. Things that have been made well and just… left. Overlooked, but still completely usable. Probably better than a lot of what’s being produced now.
So maybe the answer isn’t making more.
Maybe it’s working with what’s already in front of me.
Sourcing those pieces. Giving them a second life. Printing onto something that already exists instead of adding more to the pile. That feels more in line with everything this is supposed to stand for, not just the message on the print, but the whole process behind it.
And it brings me back into it properly.
Each piece becomes its own unique thing. from the fabric, the fit, to the history it carries. It’s slower, less predictable, but it feels real. Like I’m actually making it, not just sending it off and waiting for it to come back finished.
Yes it is harder to scale, harder to keep consistent, probably harder to explain. But it makes more sense to me. It is more me.
If I’m going to say Protest In Print, then it should show up in more than just the design. It should show up in the choices, in pushing back against overproduction, against waste, against the idea that new is always better.
Doing what I can, with what I have.
Not what I can order. Not what I can outsource.
What’s already here.
So yeah, that’s where I’m at right now. New old sweaters incoming.
Less new. More meaning. More intention.
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