We recently participated in the IIDA’s Fashion Meets Finish event! This year’s theme was “We Make Space,” which celebrates the changemakers who make things happen.
Our approach was women continue to innovate foreign and alien ideas and make them a reality- constantly transforming for the future while learning from the past. Historically, women have been required to take alternate routes and use groundbreaking methods to accomplish our dreams while creating a place for ourselves at the table.
With materials from Patcraft, Nucraft, and MiConcepts, our team created a garment that felt like it belonged to a pioneer of the future – a warrior woman who could make a shield as easily as she could make her own dress.
Our garment is not just fragments collected from across the universe – but also a recollection of her life as a work of art. She is the perfect combination of a princess, a warrior… an alien superstar!
Carpet
“The tapestry of the universe is vast and complex, with infinite patterns. While threads of tragedy may form the primary weave, humanity with its undaunted optimism still manages to embroider small designs of happiness and love” – Brian Herbert
We started by unbacking four 10-foot rolled carpets in various colors.
By flipping the carpet roll and un-backing the yarn from the backside of the roll rather than the front, the process became much smoother and gave us more volume to the yarn, which helped reduce the amount of carpet to be un-backed to produce this garment.
We selected the following colors which we felt represented the following:
- Neutral-colored yarn (i.e., black and grey) was pulled eight strings at a time. Each color represents the dark matter in the universe mixed in with the ordinary matter, which we on Earth are made of
- Yellow – giving the universe a joyful + brighter energy balance; celestial representation, such as the stars, the sun, and other galaxies
- Purple – mysterious and supernatural parts of the universe
- Magenta – love, kindness, warmth, and femininity
By braiding all of these colors together, we created a small universe within the garment while showing a bit of the cosmic thread that binds us together. Thereby creating a perfect connection of our Milky Way galaxy to the nearby clusters of galaxies, which are similarly interconnected to the rest of the universe.
Instead of muslin, we used everything we received from Patcraft, including the carpet backing, to reinforce the statement of the dark matter in the universe, a dark and rough texture rather than a smooth and white texture.
We doubled the carpet backing for a thicker and better hold of the materials as it became the undergarment.
Hand-sewing every braid onto the backing of the carpet was a challenge as it was a single needle going into an 18 – 20 threaded braid to maintain the curves on the dress.
Wood Veneer & Gold
Using 48″ x 72″ gold Chemetals sheets and 12″ x 72″ wood veneer, we cut one of the sheets into linear strips to create a rib-like armor to be weaved within the braids.
Initially, we thought the carpet was challenging, but the veneer and the metal sheets were much more difficult to work with. The veneer’s texture was very dry, and when slightly bent, it would split. Wetting the veneer allowed us to manipulate it as it became softer and more flexible. However, we needed to spray the side shield every few hours to maintain our desired shape.
The Chemetal was also not easy to bend, and we needed to get different sizes of round items to hold it in place for a few minutes. Instead of rigid parts within the strips and random metal cuts, the surface became smooth arched/curved.
The linear metal and veneer strips were not giving the warrior feel we envisioned, so we tried an alternative solution – cutting asymmetrical and inconsistent pieces of each sheet to provide us with an “I’ve been battling everywhere – fighting small to big things” vibe, which complemented the braided garment as there was no consistency, nor any symmetry. The universe changes every second we breathe – maybe even faster with light years.
Accessories
- Our model (Interior Designer, Cheryse Damon) crocheted earrings with a metal accent.
- The shoes were braided by the model herself – intertwining the black leather from the shoes with the yarn from the garment.
- For hair accessories, yarn from the garment was intertwined in her hair.
- Our model’s makeup had sparkle and shimmer from all of the stardust in the galaxies, making her an alien superstar.
Participating in this event was a great experience for our team! We were able to work together in a creative way, different from our everyday tasks as designers. It was also fun seeing each team’s different interpretation of the theme and use of various materials.
We want to give a big shoutout to our reps from Patcraft and MiConcepts – Perry Cirigliano, Ted Zakowski, Michelle Carlson, and Jessica Hicks for all of their support during this process!
