Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Lukacs.
Hi Karen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in a place where making things by hand was part of the culture, at a time when interest in crafts was widely practiced and appreciated. The environmental movement was strong; US recycling programs took shape and I participated in a local recycling group. It was a time when the wearable arts movement blossomed and caught my attention.
I have always done something with needle and thread. Embellishing jeans in college made for extra money. I’ve produced ballet costumes, created custom fabrications for architects and helped a gallery with textile installations. I’ve designed and fabricated custom yardage for interior designers. With a focus on thoughtful design and quality construction, I now design and create pieces to wear, to carry, and to decorate the home.
I’m grateful to have studied with some of the very best in my field and now share my skills and imagination through teaching, lectures and through my work.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Achieving a level of mastery in a craft is a long-term commitment of study and practice. And, earning a living making things with one’s hands is challenging, to say the least.
Scaling production remains my biggest challenge. That, and managing the business admin. It’s simply the nature of a one-person studio and part of the process. I love what I do.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a designer/maker creating artisanal fashion from garments once destined for the landfill. It’s my mark on the problem of the fashion industry’s overproduction and consumers’ overconsumption. The textile industry’s present model is most unkind to our planet.
I personally select all resources from local venues and accept occasional donations. The goods are cleaned and deconstructed to begin the design process. From working with sweaters to men’s shirts to upholstery samples to neckties, I am now committed to exploring the design possibilities in the plethora of discarded denim.
The studio follows a zero-waste design model, an imperative in addressing the fashion industry’s lack of sustainability. Each one of my pieces is thoughtfully designed and skillfully crafted to withstand the test of time. There is purpose in each one. Remaining true to my commitment to sustainability, collections are made in limited editions and bespoke, with complete disregard to trends.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Since my work merges craft and fashion, I see what appears to be another crafts movement renaissance. Technology is huge: shifting how people learn, engage, purchase supplies and sell end products. My hope is that those makers consider solving problems as a design inspiration versus a consumer mentality.
Fashion has a lot to consider and a lot to tackle. Some larger design companies are forging the way to a more sustainable industry, but there’s a long way to go.
Again, my hope is that fashion programs encourage, motivate and instruct designers to create solutions addressing the existing problems. From textile production to manufacturing to waste the paradigm needs to shift dramatically.
Contact Info:
- Email: Karen@KarenLukacs.com
- Website: https://www.karenlukacs.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenlukacs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenLukacsTextiles
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/karenlukacs/karen-lukacs/
Image Credits
Jessica Korff
Fleur de Lea Photography
Peter Romano
Amy Haskell
