Fashionistas and trendsters excluded, but most people have the odd, or sometimes more occasional, “what to wear?” moment where they secretly long to have a uniform, or some standard-issue reliable outfit that they know they will look and feel ok in.
In an unconventional take on this, artist and designer Eldina Begic has created the Comradettes range of women’s clothing. Inspired by socialist work culture, which influenced her youth in Saravejo in the 1970s and 1980s, Begic wants to shift the perception of manual workers and production in society.
The Comradette range of traditional workwear, or “Productivist worksuits”, encourages women to take pride in utility clothing while questioning contemporary aspirations and value systems.
Begic further explains that Comradettes rejects the fashion industry’s appropriation of workwear, such as denim jeans, as a form of luxury.“Instead, workwear is presented as a means towards a sense of solidarity and community, challenging the endless expression of individuality through one’s clothes.”
