ephemera
WORLD OF WEARABLE ART JESSICA SMITH
Contents 4 Prompt
7 Inspiration
8 Execution
21 Principles of Design
Prompt WORLD OF WEARABLE ART COMPETITION
As part of the Pratt Institute ID Tech course led by Henry Yoo and Matthew Hoey, students were challenged to participate in the World of Wearable Art (WOW) costume competition. WOW is an opportunity for both veterans and newcomers to costume design to push themselves out of their comfort zone and to truly test the limits of wearable art. As students, we were pushed to come up with a concept for a piece of wearable art and execute it within a month, to be submitted by the WOW competition deadline of March 28, 2018.
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ephemera [ ih-fem-er-uh ] 1. anything shortlived or ephemeral 2. items designed to be useful or important for only a short time
Inspiration WE(AIR)ABLE ART
I was initially very hesitant when approaching this
my perspective and personal aesthetic. To do this,
challenge -- the aesthetic of many of the costumes
I started with a focus on material conservation and
from last year’s winners were much more dramatic
trying to push materials that would otherwise be
and over-the-top than most of my designs. I wanted
discarded to new forms. Specifically I wanted to
to tackle this challenge in a way that pushed me to
focus on taking temperary materials such as bubble
my limits and forced me to go for a more dramatic
wrap and plastic packaging and turn it into an eye-
design than I would otherwise go for, while still
catching costume.
ensuring the outcome felt like it was coherent with
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Sketching
Material Experiment
ts
References HAUTE COUTURE
When looking for references in the fashion world on which I could build my designs, I searched for (1) designers who used upcycled materials, and (2) designers whose work had a material aesthetic that would work with humble materials such as bubble wrap
Some of the best references I found were the Armani Prive Spring 2010 collection, the Chanel Couture Spring 2014 collection, and various pieces by Iris Van Herpen, including her glass bubble dress. I was also inspired by a purse by Jimmy Choo that took the texture of a bubble wrap sheet and elevated it to the level of couture, as well as the more accessible but still playful example of the pink bubble wrap packaging from trendy makeup company Glossier.
Moodboard
Materials
Execution DETAILS
Since I chose to work with mostly plastic materials,
could easily be molded to add darts and seams while
the traditional costuming methods of sewing
on the mannequin. To create the iridescent sheen
fabric together was not a very viable solution as
on the bubble wrap, I attached dichroic cellophane
the plastic ripped once the thread was sewn in.
gift wrap to the flat side of the bubble wrap with
Instead, after some experimentation with different
contact adhesive spray. Finally, the closure to the
fabrication techniques I discovered that through
dress was created by using industrial Velcro strips
the use of a Coverite Trim Sealing Iron I could heat
with 3M adhesive backing that was attached along
seal different swatches of the material together.
the underside of one of the back seams of the dress.
Through this method I also learned that the costume
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Prototyping
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On the Model
CONSIDERATIONS
One of the benefits of using lightweight materials such as bubble wrap and plastic sheeting is that a lot of volume can be created without weighing down the model. Through conversations with cosplayers and professional models, I discovered that one of the biggest considerations to the model’s comfort when designing a costume is creating a solid bodice that can help distribute the weight of the outfit. Especially when working with large skirts or trains, they told me that the weight from that rests largely on the model’s hips. To help combat this problem, I created a strong belt-like structure made of packing tape on the interior of the dress around the model’s waist to help the dress “rest” on her hips.
Visual
Elements of
Design
3D PRINCIPLES
When focusing on the final form of the dress, I
those axes, I began constructing the rest of the dress
wanted to use the challenge as a chance to apply
form. By sealing the bubble wrap with different
the 3D methodology taught at Pratt to a the field of
textures -- pleated, ruched, and random -- I
fashion. I decided to use a particularly compelling
created sections within the dress that constituted
moment in my 3D construction final that occurred
different volumes and visual elements. I used the
between two passing planes and try to convey the
seams where those elements met to represent the
visual intrigue in my costume design. To do this I
two main axis, and then used varying materials
began by sketching out where the axes might pass
and textures to convey subordinate elements such
in charcoal first, then took wire outlines and pinned
as a spiral pin or a chaos-like element of plastic
them to the form where the axes would fall on the
sheeting.
model. Once I was satisfied with the placement of
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“If you can’t make it more beautiful, what’s the point?” ~ Rowena Reed Kostellow
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Hey there!
My name is Jess and I’m an industrial design graduate student at Pratt Institute. I studied environmental science as an undergraduate at UNC Chapel Hill and am currently working on products with minimal resource consumption and waste production.
If you want to reach me, you can find me here:
email: jsmith22@pratt.edu phone: (980) 254-4074 website: jessleighsmith.com
Thanks!