By Sean Maldjian, Contributor

Meet Pangea Kali Virga

Sustainability is at the forefront of many designer’s minds as of late. But how to merge the worlds of sustainability and avant-garde, wearable art? 

Enter Pangea Kali Virga, an FIT alum dedicated to creating one-of-a-kind couture garments with zero-waste and ethical practices. Below, we discuss the designer’s counter-narrative to consumerism, commitment to educating others, and the importance of community in all the we do. 

A self portrait by, Pangea Kali Virga

Would you rather…

get a full back tattoo of Garfield or Alf? Please explain why.

Garfield, 100%. I love his Dionysian sensibilities and who doesn’t love lasagna and the resulting carb naps? Also it’s important to note my family is obsessed with cats, so I’m a bit biased.

Some Questions With Pangea Kali Virga

Pangea explores numerous aspects between fashion and society. What drew you to create work creates such conversations?

I believe that fashion is a mirror of society and its value systems and subsequent counter cultures. I want the clothing I make to be, like art, a jumping-off point for dialogue, an expansion of the wearer, and in some cases a questioning of beauty standards. Making fiber art both wearable and non-wearable is an act of meditation for me and gives me the safe space to sort through my thoughts and emotions on internal, metaphysical, and global conflict. Undoubtedly fiber art/ fashion design is the language I am most fluent in.  My goal is to create a counter-narrative to thoughtless consumerism by making thoughtful clothing. 

If you had to eat food that was only one color for the rest of your life what color would it be?

Green, 100%. As a vegan, most of the food I eat is green anyway and I’m pretty sure you can color chocolate with spirulina, so this seems pretty doable. Have you heard of the artist Sophie Calle and her project THE CHROMATIC DIET? I think about it all the time.

Your ethos is centered on sustainability and equitability. What practices have you implemented, and hope to continue, in your production?

A single individual can only accomplish so much, but I hope through sharing informative resources and setting an example I can empower individuals to make better choices. I practice these principles in a few ways. For my original designs I only use upcycled materials, fabrics that would otherwise be sent immediately to the landfill. When creating I collect all scraps and threads cut during the process and utilize it in other projects so as to continue reducing waste. When selling original samples I donate a percentage to different worthwhile causes. On a monthly basis I host workshops teaching individuals how to be more sustainable in their day to day life through caring for their clothes.I also send scrap fabrics with all orders so that if in the future the garment needs mending the wearer has the materials needed.  I give lectures and presentations on sustainability and the abuses of the fashion industry to schools and other groups to help spread the word and empower individuals to make more ethical decisions. Lastly, I created a community-minded fashion project, celebrating the city of Miami and its people through showcasing  established and emerging local designers and artists in unique, iconic Miami locations, highlighting local makers focused on sustainable and ethical production practices. It’s called Miami On Sight, check it out.

Do you listen to music while you work? What do you usually listen to?

I love listening to my partner’s music, an experimental blend of folk, spoken word, and whatever whim he has (TheConcussions on Soundcloud). I also love dance music to help me focus with Soulection or Sasha Marie mixes on Soundcloud, Dorothy Ashby, and the Ahmad Jamal Trio to keep me soothed, Solange and Toro y Moi and Kim Petras to keep me hip, Antibalas to keep me energized,  Curtis Mayfield and Digable Planets to get my groove, lots of Destroyer and Laurie Anderson (she is my muse for life) and Nick Cave, Donny Benet to cheer me up when I’m sad, and lots of educational podcasts and audio-book short stories to keep my mind-expanding. My partner inspired me to try listening to new bands and music daily and some of my recent new faves are Dua Saleh, Faux Real, and The Halo Benders. 

How does the notion of community play into your work?

I think it is a mistake to solely think of ourselves as atomized individuals, especially in terms of art, fashion, and goods. Community is the bedrock of what I do.  Many of the materials I use are donated to me by the local and national community to repurpose in my crafts. I receive scraps from other designers, unwanted clothing from friends, and leftover materials from other artists. Most of my work is collaborative in nature, especially photo shoots and fashion shows which require large teams working in harmony. Over the years these team members have become my closest friends and biggest muses. I also gain so much energy as a mentor for my highschool interns and try my best to foster their creativity, their dreams, and their self-esteem. The youth, as well as the elderly, should be included in all movements and never overlooked.

It has also been my biggest honor founding Miami On Sight and putting together these massive groups of like-minded creators to support and lift each other up and collaborate, I hope this community continues to expand. 

Community/Humanity as a global concept is one of the main reasons why I shifted my career to focus on sustainability through practice and outreach. The act of making a mass-produced garment is truly a world-wide affair and often a single product goes through many hands in various countries before reaching the retail store. Thinking about the massive amounts of injustice, unfair labor practices, and blatant racism incorporated into the majority of fashion production made me want to continue educating myself on these topics, change my practice to be as equitable as possible and help build up a community of others to make the changes needed to stop supporting exploitative production practices in fashion. 

What specific, unique techniques do you incorporate into your process?

I have recently incorporated both zero waste practices and using solely upcycled materials for my designs to make the most sustainable pieces possible. I do this by saving every scrap and thread during the creative process and have come up with many new textile designs to use up all this waste, like sandwiching tiny scraps and threads into tulle and sewing over it, or making 3-D flowers.  My specialty is embellishment and handmade textiles with couture finishings and this has really worked in my favor when coming up with new textiles that use the tiny scraps through patchwork, applique, embroidery, and more. I have found myself using more typography in my work, incorporating more floral elements, and a lot of hand motifs (as a symbol for labor, creation, and destruction). Using decorative mending as an aesthetic and very visible stitching has been finding more prominence in my process too. I LOVE PATCHWORK as well. 

What do you hope wearers and viewers take away from your garments?

Confidence, a greater union with their physical form, and a deeper understanding of the creative and production process of making a garment. 

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

It can be really easy to drift into apathy, exhaustion, and depression when confronting the systems of the world, but the best way to find strength and a new future is to try to do your best, to continue educating yourself, and to grow deeper roots into your community (local and global). If you are a creative, stay true to your motives and your vision, try not to be easily swayed (unless by the muses of inspiration). Be your loudest cheerleader and find a group of individuals who will back you up with kindness when it is difficult to do that for yourself. Always keep experimenting and trying new things whether it be food, skills, places, or theories. I just recently started making non-wearable fiber art 10 years into my sewing career for the first time and it’s changed my life. 

If anyone ever has questions on sustainability, fashion, etc and would like a list of resources and inspiration as to how they can do more please feel free to reach out to me at www.pangeakalivirga.com.

I also give custom sewing lessons (virtual and in person), so if you want to learn how to design, mend, illustrate, sew, pattern make, drape, etc hit me up! I love to share my craft.

I will be launching my first e-shop in April with all of my one of a kind designs and anyone who signs up for the newsletter will get first dibs and a discount code, so smash that MFing subscribe button at pangeakalivirga.com. The newsletters will have lots of sustainability tips too!