Written in the Water is an exhibition inspired by the epitaph on John Keats’s grave: “Here lies One Man Whose Name was writ in Water.” This was part of Keats’s dying wish when he grasped the harsh reality he would soon die at the young age of twenty-five. Keats believed his name would be ‘writ in water’ in that he would easily be forgotten without having the chance to produce work that would stand the test of time. Similarly, I believe fashion faces such an illusion and paradox.

Fast fashion is a term used to describe the increased output of garments made cheaply and quickly — the garments that are sold for five dollars and start falling apart after one or two wears. On the surface fast fashion appears to be a temporary problem that you can quickly and easily discard, but the industry’s increase in production and its paralleled consumer buying behavior creates a snowball effect leading to a substantial increase in throwaway fashion destined for landfills. The detrimental social and environmental effects of the fast fashion industry are anything but temporary.