Fashion label or research lab? Both. Melbourne-based label MATERIALBYPRODUCT (MBP) takes a unique approach of inventing new design and manufacturing systems with the operations of a fashion house to create deceptively simple designs that provoke thought.

Founders Susan Dimasi and Chantal Kirby are on a mission, with environmental and social concerns at the forefront of their thinking, to create a brand relevant to today’s (and tomorrow’s) consumer. That consumer is someone who prioritises “a transparent supply chain, a relationship with the fashion house/designers (à la the haute couture model), and an understanding of design and construction processes”.

The notion that it’s not only about what you make but also how you make it drove the designers to develop their own language of techniques. These reduce their impact on the environment and better enable
their garments to be produced locally.

Cutting, joining and marking form the core of MBP’s techniques. “Cutting both sides of the scissors” combines positive (garment) and negative (waste) shapes to produce less waste, while technical markings and special bindings become decorative elements that highlight the process of production.

“From a cultural point of view, inventing our own techniques sustains fashion as a design process, not a styling process,” says Dimasi. Their decision to work with a more streamlined supply chain, to limit the number of cloths used and never work with manufacturers’ minimums has enabled short production runs – hence eliminating the excess stock, one of the environmental ‘dark clouds’ hovering over the fashion industry.

Which piece would best sum up their thinking? “A scarf, which is both a length of cloth and a garment,” responds Kirby. “A MATERIALBYPRODUCT scarf would be decorated/marked with the motif of a template, which guides how to cut, press and join this length of cloth into other garments – so this scarf is loaded
with a lot of possibilities.” Fashion designers or conceptual luxurists? Both.

Learn more at www.materialbyproduct.com