Rosina~Mae’s Zero-Waste Knitwear Turns Textile Waste Into Art

Photographed by Juliana during Rosina~Mae’s recurring residency at The Climate Imaginarium on Governors Island, this series documents slow fashion designer and activist Rosie’s process of transforming discarded textiles into sculptural knitwear and wearable objects. Using reclaimed fabrics sourced from deadstock remnants, old leotards, Materials for the Arts, FabScrap and dumpster-dived materials from New York’s Garment District, Rosie handcrafts colour-blocked yarn through an intricate zero-waste process that involves cutting, sewing and extending salvaged textiles into continuous strands.

Part performance piece, part documentation of labour, the project captures the physical and emotional intimacy behind sustainable fashion practices. Model and activist Jeagi appears throughout the series, at times physically connected to Rosie through strands of yarn extending across the set, creating visual metaphors for interconnectedness, repair and shared responsibility. The imagery reflects the playful yet painstaking nature of the design process, with the studio environment becoming an extension of the garments themselves.

Central to the series is Rosie’s ongoing “Double Helix DNA” knit project, hand-knitted from reclaimed spandex yarn and inspired by the structure of DNA. Through these works, Rosina~Mae reimagines textile waste as something tactile, expressive and alive, confronting the fashion industry’s vast contribution to landfill waste while proposing alternative methods of creation rooted in reuse, care and transformation.

Photo Credits:

Photographer: Juliana Sarju

http://www.instagram.com/julesarju

Brand: Rosina~Mae

http://www.instagram.com/rosina_mae

Model: Jaegi Lissade

http://www.instagram.com/thisisjaegi

Wardrobe Stylist: Rose Mae Turner

http://www.instagram.com/rosiemae27