Clownette Mod: RDS JUMPSUIT (2021)

Protesting the fashion industry and its ills, the artists of Rational Dress Society (RDS) emptied their closets and vowed to wear JUMPSUIT forevermore, inviting others to join the protest. They created a “radically inclusive” sewing pattern for JUMPSUIT, available in 330 sizes and free to download from their website (jumpsu.it). Stylish and authentic, RDS JUMPSUIT has staying power against the becoming states of identity and culture, but the project’s true brilliance is in the dramatic suggestion to discard one’s entire fashion closet. This exercise literally materializes an empty space where critical inquiry and joyful play can enter and build alternatives. What if we decided that RDS JUMPSUIT should be the foundation pattern for any new fashion production moving forward? Imagine all the ways this could potentially play out! Using RDS JUMPSUIT as a foundation, we can share ideas via the language of pattern-making to make them accessible to all bodies and possibly change the relationship between consumer and producer to become a relationship with more intimacy, consent and trust between humans. At least until the algorithms catch up with us!  : )

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Clownette Mod uses RDS JUMPSUIT as a foundation to recreate the Friend jumpsuit. Start by downloading your size on the RDS website (fitted or unfitted) and follow the modification diagrams to arrive at the Friend jumpsuit.  DIY or find someone in your community to produce it for you!

Want a PDF of the diagrams?