WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE

By: Sabrina Saberhagen, ESMOD Oslo

I am a third year student at ESMOD International Oslo, graduating in 2023. I am Filipino-Norwegian but grew up in Manchester UK. I decided to return home to study in 2020, during the height of the pandemic. For my second-year exam, I created a creative magazine titled “Welcome To the Dollhouse” featuring my fashion designs. We had four weeks to research magazine layouts and fashion photography in order to design a collection and put together a magazine-style portfolio. My concept for “Welcome To the Dollhouse” takes inspiration from the plasticity of dolls and plays with the idea of freeing yourself from being forced to maintain a certain image/beauty standard in order to be accepted.

The collection was inspired by the song “DOLLHOUSE” by Melanie Martinez, and especially the line: “Places, places, get in your places. Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces!” The song can be interpreted as the idea of being forced into masking a reality so that others cannot see what's behind closed doors. It can also be seen as the little girl (the doll) wanting to live a different reality than the one her family is giving her. “Welcome To the Dollhouse” is a juxtaposition of the messages behind the song. It explores the idea of revisiting your childhood with freedom. You are in control of your own naked truth. Although this feeling is liberating, it is new and therefore you are still feeling delicate. However, you are no longer cursed with the discomfort of dressing up as unrecognizable characters. The Dollhouse has become a safe space for you to explore your own identity, and the excitement leaves you in a playful mood.

Creative Magazine Front Page: this did not have to center its focus around the garment itself, but rather show different ways we can use fashion as a way to communicate with an audience. Model: Birgitte Hanssen

Creative magazine

Photo by Sabrina Saberhagen

Moodboard

Photo by Sabrina Saberhagen

Moodboard: I used this to summarize the concept and colour palette with images and keywords.

Design method

Photo by Sabrina Saberhagen

Design Method: In order to find interesting volumes and silhouettes I used a technique called photo styling. I draped different garments with contrasting materials on a mannequin before editing the images in different ways on top of a figurine in photoshop.

Collages

Photo by Sabrina Saberhagen

Using the collages, I sketched and developed 3D samples until I came up with the final garment designs for the collection. Above you can see an extract of the line-up on figurines.

Outfit from the collection

Photo by Sabrina Saberhagen

We had to sew one outfit from the collection. I chose to sew dungarees and a cropped shirt. These dungarees are made out of a mix of 100% cotton and scrap materials that I had left over from a previous project. Cotton is a natural material and can therefore also be dyed using natural pigments such as spinach and avocado. Model: Alexandra Langsø

We had to make one outer garment. This was the most important piece in the collection and it had to show a lot of technical elements such as the pleats in the sleeves and a classic suit collar. I also used some of the fabric scraps to make a matching bucket hat in order to reduce some of the waste produced. The remaining scraps have been kept for use in future projects.

ESMOD is extremely technical and this was the first project that allowed us to fully use all of the knowledge that we had gotten from the first two years with a lot of freedom. The most challenging aspect was finding high quality fabrics at a student-friendly price. Fashion students have to self-fund a lot of materials and more often than not, what is available to us is made from plastic. My collection was heavily based around using natural and biodegradable materials, so I designed the jacket with the intention of using 100% silk. However, I ended up having to substitute this for a polyester blend due to lack of budget and limited time.

The fashion industry is known to be extremely polluting, and I believe that finding more sustainable options is important to think about as students of the industry. I learned a lot from this experience that I will take with me when I am designing my graduate collection. After graduation, I plan on applying for a masters degree in order to deepen my skills, as well as find a way to establish a fashion brand with a greater understanding of sustainability within the industry.

Instagram: @sabrina.saberhagen Graduating Collection: @houseofsaberhagen