A discussion with : Colin Meredith
Can you please introduce yourself ?
Hey! My name is Colin Meredith and I'm pretty keen on making clothing/gear.
What are your inspirations ?
I'm inspired by lots of things. Art, famous designers, outdoor brands, people's personal style. Whatever 's in front of me, basically.
What was the path that led you to become a creator? What were your motivations?
I think being a "creator" has always been in my DNA. I grew up with guidance from my family, mainly my dad and grandmother pushing me to explore craft and creation. My dad is an amazing builder/designer that thinks deeply about objects and their purpose, so I like to think that some of that curiosity was passed to me.
What project / collaboration / collection would you like to have done? (it can be an existing project or a dream project)
There's so many people and brands that I admire, I don't know where to start. Prada, Issey Miyake, Faye Toogood, Salomon.....
What materials and processes do you use for your designs and creation ?
My materials come from all over. A perk to being the guy that makes things out of anything is that people just give me materials that they don't have a use for, haha. So i end up just collecting debris and scraps from all sorts of places. As far as my "process" goes, it very rudimental. I have a basic straight stitch machine and an overlock at home, so everything is made with those two machines and paper patterns that I make.
What are the essential eco-responsible criteria to find in a brand according to you?
I think it's impossible to ignore the subject of eco-responsibility these days and every brand has a different approach, most of them valid. No one thing is going to reverse the damage we've done to our earth but promoting the subject and finding new ways make positive change should be welcomed. As far as criteria goes, these are some things to look out for: sustainable/decomposable packaging, recycled/recyclable materials, well made items that are designed for longevity, buy-back or re-purpose programs, locally made product that doesn't have to be transported long distances.
How do you see the textile industry in 10 years?
I imagine that we'll be considerably more adept at making/consuming sustainable product. I feel theres still huge opportunity in repurposing all of the used stuff that's already in the market so I'm hoping to explore some solutions in that corner of the industry.
Any future project that you want to talk about ?
I'm really excited to make another tent, haha!
