WEARABLE STRUCTURE
wEARABLE STRUCTURE
Architecture is a significant way to create a piece with great impact to the public eye, with the ability to either be a statement piece that tests the physical boundaries, or lean more towards traditional ideologies. For this design in particular, we were given wallpaper as our material with a series of bold and sleek designs. Because of this we wanted a piece that would be bold and clean, and that would take inspiration from architecture with a whole new expressive identity, which pushed the boundaries of geometrical designs portrayed within modern construction. Zaha Hadid, renowned for her innovative design ideas is an architect who was a significant influence of this piece, due to her use of curvatures within her significant designs, which would work perfectly with the material designated to us due to its qualities of being malleable but firm.
Additional research into the area of the fashion industry, which had pushed the limit for how wearable structures could prove to be resourceful was highly influential within this design idea. As a group we looked towards the idea of Up cycling; taking old materials and creating products with better usage and higher value whilst also helping towards the environment. Due to this we once again used well known artist Gary Harvey as a source of inspiration towards the initial idea of bringing the concept of Up cycling into the piece; as he had made many iconic examples of work within this movement. An example of this was his piece made from reused laundry bags; turning them into a dress with impact. From seeing his work, we wanted to create something equally as bold which made a big statement. However, rather than going ahead with a more historical and antique approach to the design as was presented in other wearable structures, we wanted to push this idea of Up cycling with old materials to see if we could create something more edgy and contemporary.
​When we came to the initial design idea, we wanted to create a two piece with a bodice and a skirt; using a colour combination that utilised harmonious colours in an ombre effect which would appear darker towards the top and fade down into lighter colours, in order to give it a sleek and sophisticated appearance. We also decided that to give the design a little more visual interest, we would make the skirt more voluminous and asymmetrical. We would create the volume through rushing the wall paper through threading string through one edge of it and pulling it tight resulting in a waved effect; linking to the visual aspect of Hadid’s architectural work. This would also allow us to layer and lift the skirt accordingly, whilst being able to use different shades of wall paper so that we could apply the ombre effect. On top of this, we decided that we would create the body of the piece through cutting up smaller pieces of wall paper in a petal-like shape; attaching these to each other onto the mannequin so that the paper would be moulded to fit the human figure to create a comfortable garment for the initial person wearing the structure. After this, in order to create a seamless finish between the skirt and the belt, we made sure that the belt was black like the body of the piece so that it blended well. We also added organic leaf-like shapes created with off-white wall paper at the top of the skirt to blend the two separate pieces together. We lastly carried these up along the back of the piece and wrapped around the left arm so that it balanced out the heaviness of the skirt on the right hand side.
WALLPAPER
