With my given theme of Safety/Defense, I have decided to create an armor that adapts to Chinatown’s congestion. It’s quite possible that personal defense along with personal space would be needed; this garment has the potential to protect the wearer from physical contact, and make others think twice about engagement.
I ended up settling for an amalgamation of my first 2 designs, incorporating the elements I was leaning towards in both. To achieve the armored look I decided to create plates of cut cardboard. This would allow for a lightweight but relatively sturdy structure. The plan is to create holes in the plates and use wire/string to bind each section. This cardboard and string look would truly reflect Chinatown, with it’s abundance of commerce. The plates will be painted by hand. A red and silver paint job, with scaled detailing, will make the garment appear stronger than it is, thus making it unnecessary to sacrifice defense for weight/durability.
On top of the plating, I planned to have several additions. I decided on a acquiring a red, slightly reflective cloth that would go around the waist, above the opening left by the armor. This again goes back to a theme of intimidation and authority mimicry, with the bright cloth potentially driving people away before contact. A strap/belt across the chest and on the opening on the waist will be constructed out of layers of black tape, and pockets and compartments (meant to mimic police belts) will also be made out of tape.
