The sacrify-dress, created by Cédric Vanhoeck at the Royal Academy Antwerp, was designed with the intention to tackle artistically and visually - the atmosphere and concept - this ethical ambiguity of fashion and it’s industry; in specific the over-consumption of both natural and human capital and resources.
With the expression of different symbols and by using the garment as medium and support, this hot topic is conveyed.
The huge collar of the dress is covered with - by hand cut out - hand cut-outs, symbolising the sacrifice of all the workers in the industry, especially the children.
From a distance those same cut out hands look like feathers, which makes the collar have the appearance - in side view - of angel wings: the person wearing the dress becomes a hermes or angel Gabriel who comes to us sharing the message we must rethink our way of doing and working. The size of the collar and the multitude of cut-outs-layers, suffocating the wearer, refers to the over-consumption of fabric and natural resources.
The huge amount of handwork and -stitching is emphasising the importance and beauty of craftsmanship. In the front, the corset’s form is defined by the dart seam forming together with the sleeve the word «sacrify» - the in dictionaries called obsolete synonym or version of the word sacrifice - this to point out exploitation's obsolesce.
To resume this dress-statement: let’s stop sacrificing ourselves, others our planet our industry - our capital - and give each other the hand, because together we will make change happen.
