Lena Winterink

Commissioned for the exhibition ‘Plastic Crush’ by the National Museum of World Cultures, the project Made In originates from an exploration into the archives of the museums. Five wearable objects from the 19th and 20th centuries, all made of different local materials from different continents, led Lena Winterink to think about the value of locality. What materials do we wear today? Where do they come from? Who made them? And what is the significance of their place of origin nowadays?

The labels on our clothing do not always give transparent information about the origin and used materials of a garment. Furthermore, to keep a stable material-quality during the recycling process, the labels need to be cut out of the garments again. ‘Made In’ links the global mass production of fashion with a new definition of locality. The coat, made of over 1.300 labels cut out of discarded garments, showcases a broad variety of used materials and places of origin of the clothes the labels once belonged to.