_AND CARRY ON

_and carry on.

Inspired by the duality of man’s ability to both destroy and repair, Elena's BFA thesis collection _and carry, on revisits the 1941 wartime utility garment industry, investigating sustainable production techniques and celebrating creativity under constraint.
Although visually inspired by the characteristics of war-torn architecture, the collection is structurally considerate of regulations observed in the WWII Controlled Commodity industry and is comprised of materiality respective of the regulations and authentic to the time including salvaged canvas, repurposed parachutes, and scrap metal.
Out of admiration for the historical relevance of the designers hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, known at the time as the “Machine Shop to the World”, _and carry on features a metalwork collaboration with local artisans to revisit the cities most significant wartime contributions in the steel industry.
The conclusive line of the popular British propaganda Keep Calm And Carry On, the collection is named for the resilient spirit of recovery and the faith in rehabilitation epitomized by the time.