“Celestial Champions – An experimental exploration of hemp through monomateriality”, that is the lengthy title of my masters thesis from Aalto University. I handed it in almost two months ago but it’s like my brain hasn’t fully understood that it’s done and I can now relax.
To shortly describe the project, it is a hands on exploration of hemp as a textile material and monomateriality as a sustainable design strategy. Hemp is a fast growing and versatile cellulose material that isn’t as widely used in garments. Monomateriality, using only one fibre in a garments is one method that makes it easier to recycle garments. Working within such strict limitations might seem too extreme or boring to some but for me it was a way to push myself creatively but also to see what I could really do with hemp. I ended up knitting, weaving and even 3D printing with it, which was not always easy.
I also learned a lot about the cannabis plant family and the complicated history and politics surrounding it. With the increasing interest in cellulose materials right now I hope we can keep hemp a part of the conversation because it really is an underused and versatile material! I’ve now definitely caught the hemp buzz and will be making some hemp garments for myself as well in the near future.
I’ve added pictures of the final thesis garments in works. I might rearrange them later and perhaps add images of some of the fabrics. Right now I’m just glad the project is done and I’m grateful for all the people that helped me during the process. A special huge thank you to Tiina and Emilia for helping me with the photo shoot!
