Bursting at the Seams is a thought provoking book, written to expand our view of clothes and present a new approach that includes human development and cultural transformation. It’s about the role they can play as tools in our process of growth.
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Surrounded by global threats we are challenged to find new ways. Our habitual ways of doing things don’t really work anymore. Along with many other systems the industry behind clothing is becoming outdated. Even though our efforts of making it sustainable through green production processes and recycling are great, they won't be enough. If we want a truly sustainable development we need to look deeper.
The different sections of the book lead us onto different paths to look at the core issues behind our contemporary challenges. It explores the origin of specific mindsets and belief systems. The intricate connection between clothes, cultural transformation and human growth is scrutinized, along with the interesting opportunities for development this brings.
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Along with their aesthetic expression clothes are designed to fill different needs for the person who wears them. Some of these are purely practical, while others relate to psychological functions, so closely tied to how we see ourselves. There are also deeper needs. So how will clothes change when our need for inner development is as vital as our need for protection against the elements? What will happen to them when beauty ideals have become obsolete? One thing is certain: As we evolve a different set of needs emerges. Unless we figure out what these are, and find ways to develop our clothes to fill these needs, we will outgrow them. Their seams will begin to burst.
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As a new holistic understanding takes shape we begin to relate to clothes differently. And new ways of designing and manufacturing are made possible.