Clothing often reveals the times, crafts and knowledge involved in its production. Against a backdrop of cyclical crises, the exposed seams and unfinished edges of these garments expose both the crafts that usually remain hidden behind the final product and the fragility of Argentina’s industrial fabric.
Since founding her label in 2001, Vicki Otero has been re-interpreting the conventions of tailoring by shifting between right side and wrong side, as well as changing scales and structures. In ‘Industria argentina’ [‘Made in Argentina’], a collection presented in 2017, each piece evokes a stage in the production chain. Staged as a sewing workshop, the models gradually removed machines and tools from the catwalk until the workspace was left bare. The physical dismantling of the workshop and the deconstruction of the garments became a metaphor for the weakening of domestic industry and the collective loss of jobs and skills.