marker, ink, acrylic paint; 20×16″
“I depicted the issue of fast fashion in my piece because I love clothing. As I got older, I learned about the phenomenon of fast fashion and how it impacts our world. I researched about the environmental and social impacts of this topic, and learned how much harm it inflicts on our planet. Many people aren’t aware that fast fashion is not a long-standing issue. In fact, it has only become a fierce issue in the past ten years. Did you know that every single year, 92 million tons of textiles are thrown in the landfills? This is equivalent to an entire garbage truck filled to the brim with discarded clothes. In many countries, especially America, we create this idealization of having what you want, when you want, how you want it. Unfortunately, it comes with an insanely hefty cost that leaves you wondering if it’s worth it. In my artwork, I took inspiration off of many little girls’ dress-up games, with bright graphics and a variety of fashionista clothing choices. Choosing clothes that are trendy at the moment shows my hope that when you look at this piece in the future, the clothes shown won’t even be popular anymore.”
ARTIST BIO: Jaden Hall-Kues is a grade 12 student at Butler Tech School of Art studying art under art teacher Mary Catherine Ruby,