A Special Event in collaboration with 404 FOUND Arts Residency.
Edward Rafael Castro is a fashion design artist/photographer/biographer who is combining his talents over his three week residency to create garments that contain narrative content true to the lives of the wearers they are designed for, constructed from upcycled materials combined with vintage fabric scraps, visible stitching, buttons and decorative details, embedded with literal or metaphorical content.
The goal of this project is to emphasize the creativity and meaning that fashion and costume have held in indigenous communities and in ancient times, and bring that love and care forward to the present. “Fashion as Portraiture” explores the idea of slow fashion, as an art form. An individual artist makes a piece of clothing from the ground up, for a specific person, with an understanding of that person’s lifestyle, history, habits and preferences; a return to long ago values that can be a way forward for future humans. Demonstrating the values of connection and creativity, care in repurposing resources that are already available, and taking the time to understand and build relationships between individuals is the process.