Lana Lam is Using Fashion as a Tool for Change

The intricate work of Lana Lam has been broadly acclaimed as a testament to identity, and sustainable production. Made completely of repurposed fabric, her garments tell a sartorial story of joyful liberation. Each piece is totally handmade, a labor of love carrying the wisdom of a generationally passed down craft.

As far as industries are concerned, fashion is one of those that pollute the most, mostly fast-fashion and its massive overproduction of clothing made with cheap materials. These clothes are usually worn a few times and then thrown away. The process that follows after we throw them away is the worst part. Many of these garments are made of materials that aren’t decomposed easily, such as polyester, for instance, which takes approximately 200 years to degrade.

Lana’s work discusses the oft-overlooked ability of the fashion industry to shape and change societal norms, adjust societal perspective on accepted cultural practices and shift attitudes. It takes a lot to make a garment. Not just the bits we hear about but also the farmers, the ginners, spinners, weavers, sewers, artisans. It takes water, soil, seeds, land, forests, animals, electricity, oil, chemicals, metals and other precious natural resources to clothe us.

With second hand markets on a rise, Lana believes much work has been done to make this a more mainstream practice.