Patterns ⁽¹⁾ and Patterns ⁽²⁾ seeks to address the danger of blind over-consumption within the fashion industry through the nostalgic craft of sewing patterns.
⁽¹⁾: A paper sewing pattern & set of instructions for producing a garment.
⁽²⁾: A repeated decorative design printed on fabric.
Patterns have historically underpinned the production and communication of knowledge and ideas within fashion. Today, more relevant than ever, this innately human form of story-telling shares a plea to stop choking the planet.
Reproducing a vintage home sewing pattern as a decorative fabric print reveals the painstaking process of producing a single garment. This garment bears the technical and considered pattern of its process, encouraging wearers and viewers to reflect on how they engage with fashion, and inspiring more thoughtful consumption.
Quick ‘n Easy Dress and Hat – 3815 Butternick. lllustrations and text by Butternick, 1960.
Designed, printed and sewed by Lola Mayo, Melbourne, 2025. 100% recycled cotton, printed with Permaset ink. This garment bears the pattern of its process. Please be mindful of how you engage with fashion – consume slowly and thoughtfully.
Patterns ⁽¹⁾ and Patterns ⁽²⁾
Patterns ⁽¹⁾ and Patterns ⁽²⁾
Dress packaging envelope in the style of vintage paper sewing pattern envelope.
Type Specimen - Gill Sans
The humble paper-back B-format lets the iconic typeface speak for itself. The book sleeve encases sixteen cards detailing different aspects of the typeface, all in the classic colour scheme of penguin orange and off-white. The cards are printed in a sturdy stock, and can be spread out and examined together or in any order.
Type Specimen - Gill Sans
Lola Mayo is a Melbourne-based design graduate working predominantly with textiles to explore themes of waste, over-consumption, and craft. Screen printing has been a recurring medium throughout Lola’s time at VCA, a consistent voice connecting different projects and technically finessing over time. As a hands-on maker favouring tangible processes and materials, screen print continues to be a portal between Lola’s digital graphic work and the tangible outcomes. Lola’s design practise is informed largely by her slow sustainable sewing practise upcycling waste materials into one-of-one garments, bags, and other soft objects.