URBAN EMBROIDERY
roxy trev no
roxy treviño
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY Master of Architecture chair Marcel Erminy co-chair Miguel Roldan committee Robert Brown Stephen Caffey advisors Pia Wortham Zana Bosnic studio professor Ray Holliday Final Study presented March 20th, 2019 Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
TABLE OF CONTENTS UNRAVELING THE THREAD DESIGNER’S LEGACY THE FABRIC GARMENT CONSTRUCTION STITCHING THE FITTING MATERIAL SWATCHES SILHOUETTE REFLECTION
UNRAVELING THE THREAD
In Gottfried Semper’s treatise on The Four Elements of Architecture, Semper insisted that the threading, twisting and knotting of linear fibers were among the most ancient of human arts, from which all else was derived. ‘The beginning of building’, he declared, ‘coincides with the beginning of textiles.’ And that the most fundamental element of both building and textiles was the knot. The Germanic words for joint (Naht) and knot (Knoten), both share the Indo-European root noc (whence nexus and necessity). The affiliation of knots and joints is not just a relation in the genealogy of techniques. In their similarities, Semper realized it brings on a much more fundamental question of what it means to make things.
The form of a thing emerges from the process itself, within a field of forces (both tensile and frictional) established through the engagement of the practitioner with materials that have their own inclinations and vitality. No matter the discipline or scale, the outcome of a craft is based on process. The meaning created depends on the steps taken in the process. With the intent of melding my interest in interdisciplinary design, this investigation seeks to contribute to the built environment by using the processes of creation found in fashion and applying them to architecture in the attempt to derive new meaning. Through the vessel of creating a design foundation for Spanish PrĂŞt-Ă€-Couture house Delpozo, we will explore how architecture can be fashioned.
DESIGNER’S LEGACY Delpozo embraces time-honored couture techniques with a modern sensibility to create unique and feminine pieces for the contemporary woman. A combination of contrasting elements defines the Prêt-À-Couture house: Delpozo is traditional and modern, organic and architectural, sumptuous and pure. The hallmarks of the Delpozo atelier include a creative approach to volume, color, and silhouette. Artisan techniques and intricate embroideries are used throughout the collections to create the ethereal and timeless Delpozo aesthetic.
1974
Jesús del Pozo created men’s clothes and founded the brand under his own name in Madrid.
1980
Jesus del Pozo presented his women’s prêt-à-porter collections at the Cibeles fashion show in Madrid (where he would then regularly show).
2003
To protect the tradition of artistry in the fashion industry, Jesús del Pozo established a foundation to promote educational initiatives for young talent.
1 9 8 0 ’s -1 9 9 0 ‘ s e a r l y w o r k
2012 fall/winter
2011
Following the death of the founder in August, and Perfumes & Diseño Group acquired the brand to embark on an international relaunch as DELPOZO. 2012 spring/summer
2012
Josep Font’s appointed creative director. Font revitalized the 41-yearold Spanish-heritage brand with a youthful, romantic aesthetic.
2013
The brand’s relaunches with a runway show during New York Fashion Week (where they became a season regular for 10 seasons).
2013 fall/winter
Delpozo opens a new flagship store in Madrid, Calle de Lagasca, 19, 28001. 2016 fall/winter
2016
Delpozo store is opened in London, 134 Sloane Street, SW1X 9AX.
2018
Autumn/Winter collection debutes during London fashion week
2019
Lutz Huelle appointed creative director after Font’s departure.
FUTURE
Proposal for Delpozo Foundation in Barcelona, Spain with exhibition space for Delpozo’s archived collections, boutique, atelier, foundation and event space for future runway shows.
2018 fall/winter
2019 fall/winter
EMBROIDERY
The Delpozo atelier celebrates the essential relationship between thread and fabric that leads to creative expression in the art of fashion. The handmade garments are masterfully created with the most exquisite and avantgarde materials, using techniques from both Haute Couture and the Ecole Lesage of Paris . The expert craftsmanship and intricate appliqué detailing are innately consistent with Delpozo’s prêt-à-couture philosophy.
Decorative embellishment forms created through the assembly of material bits in compositions that elevate the garments
COLOR
VOLUME
SILHOUETTE
Color is used to highlight textures and enhance patterns and prints that help tell a narrative about a collection
The volume is a consequence of structured pleats in a variety of scales and shapes that create sculpturesque forms and organic lines
The delineation of the female figure is distorted and re-interpreted in the way the different materials moves away and towards the body
THE FABRIC Barcelona is the 2nd densest city in Spain and the 6th in Europe with a population of 5.5 million inhabitants. Land locked between the Mediterranean sea, Collserola Mountains, and two rivers (Llobregat and Besós), the city has been forced to grow and build upon itself. Barcelona is dense in layers of diverse urban textile patterns from different time periods ranging from the Roman city plan dating 14 A. D. to Ildefons Cerdà’s l’eixample plan from 1859. This investigation takes place in the most embellished cloth of Barcelona: the Gothic quarter of Ciutat Vella. The fabric is a dense labyrinth of narrow voids connecting to public open space between irregular built spaces that serve a myriad of activities on the ground level, and residential above.
250 km radius
LEVELS
SOLID
VOID
STREET SEAMS
VEGETATION
PLAZAS
EXISTING
c/josep pijoan
long elevation
short elevation
facing plaza
c/d’en rull
The body of the site was chosen for its proximity to the largest pedestrian seam, known as La Rambla, adjacency to two educational facilities and its connection to a public swatch. It is the vacant corner of a cluster of buildings that forms an irregular rectangle intersected by a small plaza. The challenge of working with this fabric is designing a piece to embellish it in a way that is both complimentary to its context, and stands out as couture.
SITE
GARMENT CONSTRUCTION
EXSISTING
CORNER CONDITION
DRAPE
The void left between the existing embellishments is the body to be sculpted and dressed
The body’s size constraints consist of the two facets needed to enclose the corner of the existing volumes
The body is draped in a continuous vertical surface that creates the starting volume to sculpy from
EXTEND
CUT PATTERN
The surface is extended hanging past the adjacent volumes
The hanging surface is cut to create voids to be filled with transparent material and volumes that will give the body a much more organic silhouette
VOLUME
CUT PATTERNS
PLEAT
Volume is added to embellish the horizontal planer surfaces, and pleat the vertical planer surface in order to create dynamic spaces that alter the sense of scale and light.
The horizontal surfaces are stacked and cut to compliment the added volumes
The surfaces are folded for fluid mobility and to create a connection between the surfaces
SEAM
EMBELISH
Different sized seams of steel and concrete are added to give the surfaces structure and hold the pleats and volumes in place. The seams are meant to give the piece longevity in the face of the everyday wear and tear.
Compositions of furnishings, lighting, vegetation and a variety of materials are added to elevate the spaces, and surfaces
STITCHING Though the processes in which a piece is designed changes depending on the label or t h e d e s i g n e r, w h e n b r i n g i n g a d e s i g n t o l i f e t h e surface planes must be stitched together from the foundation to the finishes. The elements once put together must sit sturdily o n t h e d r e s s e d b o d y, b u t a l l o w f o r c o m f o r t and fluidity of movement. In case alterations to the fit are needed, because of the change i n u s e o r f o r n e c e s s a r y r e p a i r, t h e p i e c e s h o u l d b e c o n s t r u c t e d s o i t d o e s n ’t f a l l a p a r t if a single seam begins to unravel. The added embellishments can be changed and adapted to best fit the users taste.
T H E F I T T I N G
The piece is an added embellishment to the existing fabric. At certain points it converges with its surrounding context through scale and texture. The surface fabric makes a flush change in material to mark the beginning of a different cloth.
level 1 siteplan
level -1 exhibition/assembly space
level 5
level level 3 3
level 3
level 3
level 4
level 4
level 5
level 5
level 5
level 5
c/josep pijoan
c/josep pijoan
c/nou de san francesc
c c/nou de san frances
Fashion is ar t that we wear, and architecture is ar t that we inhabit. The DELPOZO Foundation is timeless, yet contemporar y, soft spoken yet elegant, and subtle yet has a commanding presence. Welcome to the Foundation.
SILHOUETTE The Foundation’s organic silhouette is every changing as the users approach it from the labyrinths of voids in the fabric of the Gothic quarter. It cur ved profiles change depending on the path it is aproched from. As you walk up to it, the ground gets softer, the space gets cozier and the people are gracefuller. Its material pallet makes it warm and inviting, and allows it to shine in the background of the users’ ever yday life. Locals take pride and dignity in its embellished charm, and visitors passing through take a mental snapshot of its static beauty.
MATERIAL SWATCHES
stretcher bond brick
light oak wood
polycarbonate
copper tinted steel
permeable pavers
yellow tinted glass
rose tinted concrete
stock bond brick
tempered glass
FACADE PLEAT
BOUTIQUE The space acts a canvas that compliments the garments, and is brought to life by the embellishment of a c t i v i t y. D a i l y t h e b o u t i q u e i s b u s t l i n g w i t h t h e w o r l d ’s t r e n d i e s t w o m e n s t r u t t i n g a c r o s s t h e r o o m w h i l e t r y i n g o n D e l p o z o ’s l a t e s t c o l l e c t i o n s .
ATELIER DELPOZO Upstairs in the atelier the designers are re-imagining silhouettes and drawing inspiration from the world that surrounds them. The space is cozy yet spacious, and stimulates creativity and collaboration. The void is filled with moving light and color that shifts with the sun and ever yday activity.
EXHIBITION SPACE Below the elevated public plaza exists an ever-changing voluminous space that ser ves as a place to connect ever yday people with the craft of couture. The exhibition space is permeated with slits of light from above and across. The void can be reconfigured to adapt to different volumes and activities.
BEFORE
AFTER
REFLECTION The investigation allowed me to imagine and create a world through the lens of the two disciplines I love: architecture and fashion. The kind of work I want to contribute to the built environment in not limited by scale or by discipline. I want to contribute to the word as a Designer because everything is by design. Architecture has been invaluable in teaching me to resolve multi-faceted problems at schematic and technical levels. As I move forward as a young professional, I look forward to keep learning from other disciplines in the arts and to keep re-valuating the process of making.
BIBLIOGRAPHY Alsina, Claudi. Geometría y Moda: Secretos M a t e m á t i c o s D e l Ve s t i r. C a t a r a t a , 2 0 1 9 . D e S o l à - M o r a l e s i R u b i ó M a n u e l . Te n L e s s o n s on Barcelona: Urbanistic Episodes That Have Made the Modern City = Diez Lecciones Sobre B a r c e l o n a : L o s E p i s o d i o s u r b a n í s t i c o s Q u e H a n Hecho La Ciudad Moderna. 2nd ed., Colegio D e A r q u i t e c t o s D e C a t a l u ñ a , 2 0 0 8 . “Deeper and Darker at Delpozo.” The Business of F a s h i o n , 1 5 F e b . 2 0 1 7 , w w w. b u s i n e s s o f f a s h i o n . c o m / a r t i c l e s / f a s h i o n - s h o w - r e v i e w / d e e p e r- a n d d a r k e r- a t - d e l p o z o . Ekici, D. “Skin, Clothing, and Dwelling: Max Vo n P e t t e n k o f e r, t h e S c i e n c e o f H y g i e n e , a n d B r e a t h i n g Wa l l s . ” J o u r n a l o f t h e S o c i e t y o f Architectural Historians, vol. 75, no. 3, 2016, pp. 281–298., doi:10.1525/jsah.2016.75.3.281. “Jesús Del Pozo Foundation.” Perfumes & Diseño, w w w. p y d . e s / e n / c o m m i t m e n t / f u n d a c i o n - j e s u s del-pozo/. N a k a m i c h i , To m o k o . P a t t e r n M a g i c . S t i e b n e r, 2015. “Philosophy - Delpozo.” delpozo.com/es/.
DELPOZO,
w w w.
S e m p e r, G o t t f r i e d . T h e F o u r E l e m e n t s o f A r c h i t e c t u r e a n d O t h e r Wr i t i n g s . C a m b r i d g e University Press, 2010.