We’ve had a great first week getting to grips with the brief, researching, and brainstorming ideas. We took a trip to Ashaiman, just outside Accra, where Global Mamas has a production facility that's in a converted house and not really fit for purpose. The aim of the visit was to meet some of the staff and find out more about their garment making process and the spaces they need. Amos, one of the managers, walked us through the process of batik making – where plain fabric is dyed, stamped with wax patterns, dyed again, and maybe stamped and dyed again, to produce beautiful coloured patterned fabric. The dyed fabric is hung out to dry under the sun and blows around in the wind.
Dorcas, the other manager, then showed us around the sewing areas, where batiked fabric is ironed, cut, and sewn into garments. Global Mamas has taken great care in the sewing room to arrange the machines so that none of the seamstresses have their backs to each other, and it is a cool, pleasant place to work. The women listen to music and chat while they work, and it is important that we maintain this friendly informal atmosphere in the new fair trade zone.
It was very exciting to see the fabric and clothes being made. However, it was also clear that Global Mamas could do with more space, and a building that is designed around their very specific needs, especially when it comes to batiking, which requires hot wax, lots of water, gas, and both semi-outdoor and outdoor spaces.
We spent the rest of the week sketching and mapping the production processes, as well as identifying challenges and opportunities for the new design. We researched the current worrying status quo of the garment industry around the world as a contrast to the new place of production we are going to create. We started collecting images of buildings and projects which have inspired us with their use of materials and/or technologies and have related these to our own design aims. It’s going to be a challenging, but very interesting project, and we’re excited to move to the next stage.
Emily
Dorcas, the other manager, then showed us around the sewing areas, where batiked fabric is ironed, cut, and sewn into garments. Global Mamas has taken great care in the sewing room to arrange the machines so that none of the seamstresses have their backs to each other, and it is a cool, pleasant place to work. The women listen to music and chat while they work, and it is important that we maintain this friendly informal atmosphere in the new fair trade zone.
It was very exciting to see the fabric and clothes being made. However, it was also clear that Global Mamas could do with more space, and a building that is designed around their very specific needs, especially when it comes to batiking, which requires hot wax, lots of water, gas, and both semi-outdoor and outdoor spaces.
We spent the rest of the week sketching and mapping the production processes, as well as identifying challenges and opportunities for the new design. We researched the current worrying status quo of the garment industry around the world as a contrast to the new place of production we are going to create. We started collecting images of buildings and projects which have inspired us with their use of materials and/or technologies and have related these to our own design aims. It’s going to be a challenging, but very interesting project, and we’re excited to move to the next stage.
Emily
