Today I worked on a fashion design

Today I decided to work on creating a suit for the Lights Out 2 fashion show. This is my first time making a fashion piece so I am very scared as to how it could turn out.

The theme of the fashion show centers around the environment and humans reconnecting to nature. I originally wanted to create a piece incorporating the eco-brutalist architectural style into fashion; however, as I did more research into eco-brutalism, I found out that the practices of the architectural style were extremely harmful to the environment and many eco-brutalist buildings were a result of greenwashing. This went against the whole purpose of the theme so I searched for a more eco-friendly fashion style that encapsulated the theme. That’s how I found biophilic design.

Biophilia is defined as “love of life” and the word depicts a natural and instinctive connection that humans have with nature. Biophilic design represents this connection through the use of materials and textures and odes to plants, forests, etc.

I was inspired by biophilic fashion shows such as Private Policy’s Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear show and Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2022 Ready-to-Wear show where the respective designers for each show wanted to invoke a sense of appreciation for nature and escapism from the busy, corporate city life present in large-scale cities such as New York City or London. These designers used materials such as mycelium, which is a mushroom-based leather that is long-lasting and more sustainable than regular leather and upcycled fabrics, and recycled polyester taffeta. Although I have not decided what materials to use for my piece, I wanted to reflect this same appreciation for nature by using sustainable materials.

I noticed that these collections had a utilitarian and futuristic feel to them, which challenges the traditional symbolism of utilitarian clothing being synonymous with dystopic futures. It reminded me of the solar punk aesthetic, an aesthetic representing a utopian future opposite to the popular dystopic aesthetic of cyberpunk. With this in mind, I looked to the classic cyberpunk film Blade Runner for inspiration and I wanted to give a biophilic and solar punk spin on the classic replicant suit.

In the film, this suit represents a dystopic future where corporate America runs rampant and humans are connected to robots rather than nature. I wanted to change the shape edges and strict lines of the piece and instead, my piece will be fluffy and supple in texture, giving a spin on the classic dystopian suit.

And to give a biophilic spin on the classic dystopian replicant suit, I felt that a bright makeup look using bright colors would contrast well with the utilitarian, futuristic feel of the piece.

With the makeup, I was inspired by makeup artist Pat McGrath’s collaboration with designer Shayne Oliver who created biophilic makeup looks for Oliver’s recent show. McGrath turned the models into “human bouquets”, and I wanted to reflect that same feeling through the makeup where humans and nature are connected. I plan to 3D print the flowers and pollen stem in the makeup, which is a common sustainable material.

I’m nervous to see how the piece will turn out and if I can even access materials similar to chrome-free/mycelium leather. But we will see.

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