Dusti Diener

Designer & Writer 

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The Decorative Self


The Decorative Self is an exploration of feminist strategies and reclaiming “women’s work” as a slow, methodical simulation of the healing process. It utilizes mending and embroidery to alter found articles of pre-owned clothing as a design methodology to shift the negative perception of the imperfect and celebrate our unique personal textures and histories.

I modified t-shirts with new embroidered messages that became portraits of specific people in an attempt to both understand their traumas and to give recognition to incredible strength and healing that had taken place. For the full stories click the “Next” icon above.