Creative Exposition 237.465

  Working title: Creating my own borders: Identity & Clothing   Being a first generation born Indian-Kiwi woman I have always felt like I didn’t completely fit in to my surroundings. Growing up in two different cultures has led me to struggle within myself but has also shown me a new perception of who I am and can become. There have been instances when I would try to ‘fit in’ but it would always seem as if I was losing a part of my true self and essence. Is it the fact that I thought wearing traditional Indian clothes at events would leave a good imprint on the community and how they perceived me as a person knowing that this wasn’t my true self? Or I started listening to Western music just to be able to talk about it with my classmates knowing that I enjoyed Indian and Punjabi music to a much deeper level? There has always been an animosity between what makes me truly a New Zealander and an Indian but why can’t I just be both in one? Being a ‘product’ of diaspora and accu...

  Expanding on the 10 points of my process: 1) I'm old enough to make my own decisions and follow what I'm passionate about when it comes to sewing Indian garments. Watching my mum sew as I grew up led me to be more creative and love making something out of fabric. I kept following my passion which led me to create some stunning pieces (for myself anyway). Only I know what I want to create out of the fabric I buy so I don't need anyone's approval to do so.  2) Make use of the resources around you Indian clothes are constructed of rich embroidery, exotic fabric and depths of layers which can be difficult to locate in New Zealand. India has an expansive range of everything at affordable prices and if you were to convert that here, it would be extremely expensive. I was able to purchase velvet, net embroidered fabric, get it stitched by a tailor within $150 NZD. The fabric alone would cost more than $150 here. Instead of looking for the right materials I decide to create g...