Jalaina Hitchen

Mothers of Mine

Bachelor of Design Accessory design Contemporary crafting Craft Post fossil practices Practice led Re-purposing Upcycling Weaving Womenswear Ancestral history Craft Culture Diversity Education Indigenous Methodologies Locality Narrative Reflections of self Slow Surface Manipulation The past reimagined Vā Moana / Pacific Spaces

Utilising traditional craft to tell stories of cultural matriarchs.

This concept tells the story of cultural matriarch descendants of the designer, creating a personal connection to the collective histories of Mothers of Mine.

Entering the final semester of a Bachelor's Degree is a monumental moment. I will be the first in my immediate family to gain a University Degree. This body of work pays tribute to the mothers who came before me, who worked through the challenges of poverty, of the working class, to then give future generations the opportunities that are now available to me.

The materials used mostly consist of domestic resources resembling the women, the unsung heroes, that carried out their hard work behind closed doors. Traditional Tongan weaving techniques are used to weave bibs made from domestic materials like compostable bin liners and string, found around the home, heirloom tablecloths are patchworked together to create garments full of vibrancy and colour, like those of my Portuguese grandmother, silhouettes remain austere and modest, channelling my Danish Mormor.