HOMESICK

Join JRAT at Kaleidoscope for the debut of her most recent collection, HOMESICK, during New York Fashion Week.

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DOORS AT 2PM
CATWALK AT 230PM
Garments will be available for purchase immedaitely after the presentation.

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MUSIC BY Keyes Wiley (DJ Dark Wiley)
HAIR BY kam korderz
STYLING BY Yetunde Sapp

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ABOUT THE COLLECTION

JRAT’s SS25 collection, HOMESICK, emerges out of fond memories of miserable moments--staying home sick from school—under the loving care of mid-90s daytime television (talk shows, games shows, informercials, and all).

HOMESICK is a comforting mirage to snuggle up with, when facing the intolerably bleak nature of the future before us.

In the same way that memories are an amalgamation of recollections, the garments of HOMESICK replicate the slashing and splicing of the memories in one’s mind, but in textile form. Pillowy silhouettes contrast with these shredded surfaces to swallow the body in a safe, protected embrace

In no way haphazard, the hodge-podge of materials, textures, and colors that comprise HOMESICK are intentionally and personally curated from found, reclaimed, and deadstock materials by the artist behind JRAT, Janelle Abbott.

HOMESICK finds solace in the blissful self-deception that nostalgia manifests.

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ABOUT JANELLE ABBOTT/JRAT

Born into the fashion industry, Janelle Abbott grew up in the Seattle warehouse where her parents designed and manufactured Tencel clothing under the brand, Amanda Gray. This early exposure to the behind the scenes of garment production gave Janelle a sense of reverence for the labor involved in creating clothing. After receiving a BFA in fashion design from Parsons School of Design, she partnered with Timo Rissanen and Salla Salin by performing in their installation, “15%” which debuted at the Amos Anderson Museum in Helsinki, and was later reprised at Parsons’s Kellen Gallery in NYC. In the face of the exploitive labor and environmental damage perpetrated by fast fashion, Janelle has carved her own path—committed to textile reclamation, sustainability, hand craft, and the zero waste design methodology, she creates one of a kind garments, wearable furniture, and works of fine art and performance through her brand, JRAT. Janelle offers Wardrobe Therapy as an in-depth service for private clients looking to rework clothing they own and love but no longer wear. Densely pleated, boldly clashing, and unexpectedly rhythmic, Janelle’s work is scrappy, unapologetic, and a testament to just how much time and energy it takes for real humans to manufacture and produce every consumer product we engage with.

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JRAT MISSION STATEMENT

In the face of the relentless flames of fast fashion, JRAT plays the role of fire fighter. Where fast fashion seeks to burn down the value of clothing by implementing artificially low prices, possible only through the use of low-quality materials and exploited labor, JRAT elevates the importance of the material world through imbuing what might otherwise be considered “garbage” with time, energy, and creative intervention to create one of a kind pieces that teeter on the edge of fashion and fine arts. JRAT salvages cast of materials—t-shirts, button ups, micro-trend garments—what are these material but for a reflection of the human labor that brought them forward? JRAT creates work that solves the problems which haunt our modern world, such as waste colonialism. The Global North dumps tons of textile waste onto the shores of the Global South. Through techniques like 3T, JRAT seeks to reduce this environmental and economic burden, and by implementing methodologies that are zero waste, JRAT ensures that no additional damage is created amidst the solution. Being that we are living in a world where 80 to 150 billion garments are produced annually, JRAT believes everyone should own and wear more clothes made from second-hand clothes. Extricating oneself from the deluge of fast fashion is one way to care for the health and safety of our planet, affirm the value and worth of garment workers across the globe, as well as shift one’s priorities towards investing in solutions focused brands instead—and JRAT is just one of those solutions focused, sustainable, zero waste, and ethically potent brands.

Host or Publisher Janelle Abbott (JRAT)