The construction process began in Illustrator, in which I created a map for the laser cutter. Holes were made for the twine that would keep the plates together. This map was edited to fit the laser cutter parameters, and then I laser-cut sheets of chipboard.
After doing so, I moved into painting the the chipboard. This was done with acrylic paint, with which I painted a dark red finish with metallic borders. Black tape was later added for lining, along with gold grommets in the the holes.
Here is the final garment on a dress form. The strap across the chest was created using a black artist’s tape and an ancient Chinese coin. This same coin can be found on the right of the chest plate. The idea of the red cloth sash was abandoned in favor for a belt similar to the strap.
