This project was inspired by Liam Young’s Planet City, which envisions a future in which the entire global population of 10 billion lives in a single megacity, allowing the rest of the planet to rewild and recover.
Our lecturer, Adele Keeley, set a brief in which, working in teams of three, we were tasked with designing a character known as a “history walker”—individuals who traverse the planet educating others about past environmental issues to ensure history does not repeat itself.
Our team created the character of the Plastic King, who roams the Earth collecting plastic and attaching it to their cape. Through their costume, the Plastic King educates people about the production and lifecycle of plastic, with sedimentary-layer-inspired trousers representing the accumulation of plastic over time. The character also gives useful plastic items from their cape to those in need.
The Plastic King’s costume draws inspiration from both the British crown jewels and contemporary litter pickers. It was fully realised using second-hand items, repurposed creatively to serve a new and imaginative function, combining environmental consciousness with theatrical storytelling.
The final edited image by Ed Hill
Extra outtakes from the photoshoot which show off the Plastic King's regal personality!
In this project, I learnt how to dye natural fabrics with ice dyeing to create beautiful fabrics that I could for the sedimentary layers at the bottom of the trousers.
Before
During
After
This project involved lots of machine sewing to create the sedimentary trousers.
The layers were created by combining scraps of leftover fabric from our studios.
The layers were created by combining scraps of leftover fabric from our studios.
Machine sewing
Making the sedimentary layers
Hand sewing
It also involved pinning rubber gloves onto our high vis gilet to ensure that after the life of the costume, the gloves and gilet can be repurposed and used again.
Pinning
Sewing
Testing
Teamwork and glueing
I used my graphic design skills to create create posters to showcase our work in our studio and then these were taken to The Green Party Conference 2025 that was held in Bournemouth.
My exhibition posters
Setting up at Bournemouth International Centre
We had the amazing opportunity to exhibit our costumes to the British media and the thousands of party members who attended. We even manage to get a picture with the party leader, Jack Polanki.
Being interviewed by The Green Party
Photo with Jack Polanski
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