Artist Statement -
This Jacket is a collaboration between Heavy Flow and Toronto-based artist Brent Haddow. This piece is a tribute to one of our favourite pollinators - butterflies, and hopes to call attention to the importance of sustainable production and responsible consumption within the fashion industry. The manufacturing and demand for fast fashion have proven to have a devastating impact on our environment, as well as often being produced in exploitative conditions. Our Earth’s pollinators are facing a dramatic decline in population and we believe an immediate shift in consumer practices can contribute to combating their extinction. The theme of transformation is also incorporated in both Heavy Flow and Brent’s work. All of Heavy Flow’s garments are made using vintage or deadstock fabric and are sewn ethically in Toronto where the brand is also based. For example, this particular piece was originally a table cloth, and with Brent’s contributions have been re-worked to become a unique piece of wearable art. His embroidery practice began by thrifting discarded clothing and modifying these garments with his own needle-work adornments. He describes his creative process as similar to a cocoon - it begins in a state of contemplation and fixed rest which then leads to the physical transformation of a garment, giving it an entirely new life.
