After consuming the environment of Chinatown, I developed two possible garments which would aid to adapting in the setting, considering shelter.
My first design pulls a lot from the pagoda architecture prominent in China and Chinatown. The featured pagoda hat not only provides shade and protection from rain but it also works alongside the pagoda style shoulder blades to help the person blend into their environment. The red and yellow coloring, as well as the ornaments from the shoulders and symbol on the gown- which is found hanging in the streets of Chinatown- also aid in camouflaging the person. The very loose outfit helps disguise the figure’s body for privacy- or shelter. Additionally, the yellow face mask provided privacy but also protection from potential pollution.
The second design is more far-fetched. As I walked through some markets I found wide brimmed wooden/thatch hats and acknowledged their important use in protecting the locals from the sun’s rays. Therefore, I dreamt up now of those hats where there are cylindrical sliding “doors” which circle around the brim of the hat reaching the ground. If in need of shelter, the person may grab the 2 handles on the doors and slide them together more to form a shelter of wooden strips. It completely hides the figure and comically resembles a traffic cone.
