Catalyst for Metamorphosis

Concept: 12 piece collection (presented as illustrations) comprised of menswear, womenswear, and unisex pieces that embodies both my personal design aesthetic and also visually explores various themes/inspirations.

I am very interested in creating my own prints and patterns and I love to infuse them with deeper meanings and values. This project is based on taking inspiration from nature, anxiety rooted in change and cycles of change.

This collection draws on the Monarch butterfly as inspiration. A creature that migrates, changes, and travels. I found myself relating to it, especially since Monarch butterflies came to England and unplanned spontaneous way (and is a very rare butterfly to be seen in England) I feel like I can relate to this in terms of my relocation to the United Kingdom during this crisis of the pandemic.

CYCLES OF CHANGE

In my first semester at Parsons, I was very homesick and struggled to cope with my anxiety. I find that a lot of my anxiety is rooted in change especially the change of routine which I find comfort in.

The act of metamorphosis is an example of a sort of routine that the butterfly goes through (a very regimented process) from the start to the end of its life, each transition representing a new stage and new opportunities.

The pandemic will bring forward a new cycle of change in the world as we are forced to re-evaluate our ways of living. In the meantime whilst on lockdown, we find ourselves embracing nature more than ever and appreciate the little things we’ve taken for granted like the trees and the simplicity of being outdoors. I hope that this will allow us to reflect on the impact on the planet and how we approach sustainability as a whole within the fashion industry and I hope it will continue to inspire the way we design and approach our lives in times to come.

This collection is visually contrasting and uses a lot of prints on prints to reflect the contrast in the world at the moment and also the idea that complexity can also be beautiful.

MOTIFS

STARS

• Living in New York how you often can’t see the stars in the sky because of all the light pollution. Comparing this to where I grew up in England (I live in a very rural area in the forest) the stars are almost always visible on a clear night, which was something that I actually didn’t appreciate until I moved to the city.

ORGANIC LINE

• This project is about trying to show yourself as a designer and communicate your own aesthetic.
• I especially felt like the theme of this project should link to something to do with nature and sustainability since not only are these issues which I am passionate about but the idea of organic and spontaneous line is something which defines my style

 

 

This collection is based on using butterflies as a way to cope with uncomfortable change and seeing it as a transition and transformation into something beautiful. Sometimes the transition is ugly and complicated but the end result is worth it.

 

PROCESS

For my process, when designing this collection, I first started by creating a mood board, sketching silhouettes, and brainstorming ideas about the different themes and inspirations for the collection.

After I solidified my concept I started to work on my prints. I digitally drew a butterfly wing using a monarch butterfly as a reference and then played around on procreate with composition and layering to see how I could manipulate the illustration to create an interesting print.

Once I developed the print and added color, I started to sketch again, working with organic shape and line to help give me inspiration for the style and feel of the garments I wanted to design.

 

This collection features 24 individually designed garments and a total of 12 separate looks comprised of both menswear, womenswear, and unisex pieces.

I knew I wanted to make a 12 piece collection so I knew that I had to design a lot of separate pieces. I focused on making some garments more elaborate and stand out more as highlights of the collection. These pieces include ‘the star bomber’, ‘the jacket’, ‘the dress’, and the range of star embroidered jeans.

 

Linking to my seminar project I also knew I wanted to try and design some sort of funky sneaker (with thought as to how I would make it if I were given the chance ie sustainable materials and manufacture), so I came up with a super fun chunky design into which I incorporated my color scheme and it has the same sort of vibe as my whole collection.

I imagine if I showed this collection I would have the modes wear these shoes.

 

 

 

Overall I’m very proud of this collection, I definitely pushed myself in terms of the amount of work, design, and skill. I feel as though the thought and meaning behind the pieces make it even more special and it showcases my development over the course of this semester as my freshman year at Parsons.