RECRAFTING THE T-SHIRT FOR RENTAL: A LCCA X LOANHOOD COLLAB

LOANHOOD and the London Contemporary College of Art have come together for this special student project, looking at the relationship between the use of the humble t-shirt as a political tool and wider social and cultural shifts. Here we show the work of 5 students whose inspiring and thought-provoking t-shirts will be available to rent on the LOANHOOD app.

This is the first time a University has created their very own LOANHOOD profile, introducing their students to rental and providing them with a platform for their collections to be rented and worn beyond the classroom! We are super excited to welcome the LCCA cohort and future students to lead the way with rental from the beginning of their fashion careers.

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Cristina Gomez Martin

T-Shirt Name: ojos

@cris.gmez

My project is inspired by a short film by Dali and Bunuel. In it among other symbols, you can find some eyes, which are cut with a blade.

Following this drastic event, I was inspired to create a study about them in different approaches and forms, giving as a result an illustration of the composition of these. For the T-shirt, I used two second hand garments to join them together to give a teardrop shape on the front and some eyes on the back.

What was your favourite aspect of participating in this project with the fashion rental platform Loanhood?

I am delighted to have been part of a collaboration which promotes sustainability in the world of fashion, as we tend to be driven by consumerism to follow the latest trends and give little life to clothes that should be worn for years to come. For me, this is a very sustainable way to be trendy and my favourite part.

What message or story does your recrafted T-shirt convey?

‍I could definitely say that my main message is the different focus on something totally ordinary like the eyes and which goes totally ignored. With this, I want to transmit my inspiration and invite others to let themselves be driven and inspired by the routine things that normally go completely invisible.

Elijah Sopieva Slocombe

T-Shirt Name: EXPLORER

@lijslocombe and @dffrnt.wav

What was your favourite aspect of participating in this project with the fashion rental platform LOANHOOD? For me this project allowed me to explore my own personal interests and stories to create something to represent both me and my influences. I was able to explore manga artwork more, and delve into the creative process of forming a visual story that tells so much more than what you might expect, and overall it let me explore the aspect of making a garment that is memorable for its design or the story i told.

What message or story does your recrafted T-shirt convey?

My T-shirt represents any person’s life. I titled it Explorer and used the image of a mountain climber to represent the dichotomy of finding your purpose in life, the climbers face is relatively expressionless and you aren't told whether they have reached their goal, are at the start of the journey or may be just enjoying the sights along the way. I was inspired heavily by the prologue to Ernest Hemingway's book ‘The Snows of Kilimanjaro’ in which he describes a snow leopard found frozen just beneath its summit, and the questions asked are what inspired me ‘what was the leopard doing so high up’ , ‘was the leopard just too high up to return, or did it have a higher purpose’.

Elizabeth Grace Alpha

T-shirt name: Deform & Rebuild

@oreaphina

What message or story does your recrafted T-shirt convey?

My concept REFORM & REBUILD is the process of deforming whom you’ve conformed yourself to be, shared either by your environment, pressures to fit in or as a form of self-protection, to getting to know yourself with things you enjoy in everyday life, applying how you want to be treated by others onto yourself and gathering those qualities into the image that you wish to be.

The message I am addressing is for the people who don’t know who they truly are and that it is possible to break down into pieces who you’ve been taught to be and rebuild yourself into who you want to become, based on your morals, beliefs and the small quirks and characteristics you love about yourself.

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Rachel Mocker

T-Shirt Name: THEY DIE FOR OUR SINS

@trashangelss

My brand is called TRASHANGELS and my principals focus on the ownership of bespoke and unique articles of clothing, I want you to have something no one else has, something uncommon and exclusive while remaining sustainable and eco-friendly. I am driven, passionate and I work hard towards making my lifestyle brand a success.

My message is simple, turn the old into new, be unique and feel special.

What was your favourite aspect of participating in this project with the fashion rental platform LOANHOOD?

Doing this project for LOANHOOD was a great experience because my brand focuses on reworking clothing and creating something new from old and unused clothing giving it a new lease of life.

What message or story does your re-crafted T-shirt convey?

LOANHOOD is a great rental platform and community to debut my T- shirt because it is creative, diverse and inclusive. I want to portray a message of capitalism, social consumption and religion throughout my T-shirt as well as the importance of being sustainable and eco-friendly.

Marnei Williams

T-shirt name - IdentiTee

@marneiii

The design encompasses the visual storytelling of a series of traumatic experiences combatted into a single print. It showcases impactful periods that have influenced a person's identity progressively and/or regressively emulating the strength of the individuals, evoking pride and empowerment. The series of disjointed events replicate the misplacement of recollected memories and emotions focusing on the haunting effects of trauma on the human psyche creating unease and disconnect.

It is a reflection on the transformative power of traumatic experiences and the strength that can be derived from embracing and sharing them. It fosters understanding, empathy, and a sense of unity among those who have experienced similar challenges.

A dedication to my friends who have allowed me to share and cherish their experiences with the rest of the world so that we all feel proud to wear our wounds. After all, that's what partly makes us who we are.

What was your favourite aspect of participating in this project with the fashion rental platform LOANHOOD?

My favourite aspect of participating in the Loanhood Project was having the opportunity to express my personal experiences and the experience of those close to me. Being able to utilise a platform where I had the creative freedom to visually depict a story and share it with a calibre of people in the hope that my design resonates, connects, and empowers others. The creative freedom and challenge of portraying art in a sustainable way was thought-provoking and liberating.

‍What message or story does your recrafted T-shirt convey?

My design for the T-shirt tells the story of vulnerability, willpower, ownership, and pride. Revealing parts of your journey that at times can be hard to face as they contribute to the story that explains who we are, but also being able to voice your own portrayal of emotions and experiences to create a different perspective, worn by a body that speaks for who we are now.