In a bustling coffee shop on a Saturday in April, In a bustling coffee shop on a Saturday in April, I sat down with Master's in International Human Rights student, Abby Powell to talk about the exciting fashion zine I picked up at Not Another Photo Lab. SuperStitchin, a zine focusing on ethical and eclectic fashion, is a collection of interviews and editorials on alternative fashion movements and their echoes through history. In just 20 pages, SuperStitchin conveyed an incredible sense of authenticity, care, and above all, hope, for the fashion industry and alternative fashion movements. And I couldn't get enough of it.

  A zine, short for magazine, is a self-designed and published magazine that started appearing in the 30s and 40s, and have existed in art spaces ever since.  In Abby’s words, “[They have been] the perfect embodiment of unity through art, community, and collective resistance.”

Abby, alongside student and designer, Nina, created Superstitchin to share interviews and photos of the people they met at punk shows. After a couple interviews, they noticed a pattern in their interviews—most people had either sourced their pieces from second hand stores, or had upcycled the piece themselves. This focus on conscious consumption of clothing is where the zine gets its ethical perspective, a thoughtful pairing with the eclectic styling of alternative fashions.

Being involved in Fibershed, I naturally had to ask Abby about the expand on the “ethical” part of SuperStitchin. Abby is currently pursuing a Masters in International Human Rights with an emphasis on fashion, so it was incredibly important to her to highlight the ethics of the labor that makes the everything possible in the fashion industry.

         “The majority of people working in the fashion industry are women, especially in manufacturing. They are often from marginalized communities and so they are intentionally targeted. Honestly, the ethics of fashion production are not focused on enough, and it goes beyond poor working conditions. Whole communities are taken advantage of and there are very few protections.”  

When asked what advice she wanted to give us to be more ethical fashion consumers, she gave three tips:

1. Shop consciously and pay attention to the symbolism of your clothes.

2. Shop second hand when possible.

3. Avoid the trap of overconsumption.

While very aware of the realities of the fashion industry, Abby and Nina wanted to ground the magazine in compassion and optimism because things can always change, especially with the strength of community support. One example of positive change she referenced was rehabilitation efforts where laborers from marginalized communities are taught entrepreneurship and business skills so they can work for themselves and price their labor more fairly. Another positive change was the recognition of synthetic fibers as harmful to both the human body and the planet by the UN General Assembly. This was coupled with a renewed effort to promote natural fibers both as cash crops for farmers and as a source for sustainable development in all partner industries, a huge win for us fiber folk. 

In her search to make her own wardrobe more sustainable and ethical, Abby has been looking for local pieces that use natural fibers and dyes, but said finding alternative fashion options has been challenging. After an extensive search, I have to agree that there are precious few options for alternative fashion (Equilibrium Clothing Co and Round Trip Goods to name producers in our own fibershed), but this reveals an incredible opportunity for artists and designers. People of all fashion genres want natural fibers, natural dyes, and want to invest in local labor, so if you’re a designer, artist, or know of a clothing brand that aligns with the above, let us know so we can share your work with the SuperStitchin team!

Coffees now finished, I asked Abby what the next steps are for the zine. Abby’s talent as an engaging and thoughtful writer, and Nina’s design savvy are evident in every edition of SuperStitchin, so I was eager to hear what else they have lined up. As Abby and Nina are both students, they work on the zine in their spare time and do hope to publish another edition, covering topics from fashion to folklore and politics, soon. Until then, we can find them on Patreon and on Instagram. 

Eventually, they would love for the zine to grow enough to become self-sustaining, and as more and more people turn back to the comfort of physical media, I would say that it’s definitely a possibility.