PORTFOLIO
SENIOR THESIS - lucid
We are experiencing a time of social, political and economic uncertainty.
As we wake, we are greeted with more unbelievable news headlines from the days before.
Sensationalism is becoming the new norm, making it feel like a dizzying dream.
Is this real?
Are you awake or are you dreaming?
Can we lose touch with reality if we can no longer distinguish the line of the outrageous?
Questioning blurred consciousness of reality through artificial colors and larger than life silhouettes knitted and woven together to coexist.
The collection is created with the space between fragments of what is real and what is not real mirroring the divided emotions across the country.
Lousin - Terrain
Attraction to how clothing lays and falls over every curve of the female frame, creating body-scapes through fabric manipulation, this collection is inspired by the natural landscapes of South America and its inhabitants. The varying subtropic terrain of South America are abundant with plant and animal life. One animal in particular has adapted to its surroundings and predators by developing a supple armor made of bone. This collection explores biomimicry of the natural world through fabric manipulations with a focus on “the little armored one,” the armadillo. I was drawn to the idea of creating a collection that balances the use of technology and hand crafted eco-conscious materials to develop form and function in high quality hand made fabrics in practical silhouettes much like the armadillos exterior.
The protective bony plates that encase the armadillo’s bodies inspired a new print and texture for the collections fabrics that are outside of the typical fashion animal print. Various gauge yarns were hand knit to mimic the rocky landscapes and bumpy skin of the armadillo. The sculpted quality of wovens create a landscape resembling the color palette of the temperate terrain of which they were inspired by such as warm earth tones of golden yellows, green grasses and mineral rich red rocks.
Our clothing is more than a protective shell, they are an extension of us. It is our own intelligent design, complimenting and contrasting that of nature's own. For me, it is imperative to design garments with original textiles, that are unique and modern statements for women who want to express themselves.
inforescence
inflorescence collection combines timeless and effortless silhouettes in a n array of woven and knitwear embellished and hand dyed in a variety of colors mimicking flowers found in nature. The transparent and opaque pieces are design to be layered or worn independently.
They are handcrafted vessels to celebrate and compliment the female form in all shapes and sizes.
lousin - eco-conscious
The concept behind this spring collection was to identify a problem within the industry and create a sustainable and eco-conscious solution for my brand.
The problem identified is the high demand for luxury fibers, such as cashmere. To create one cashmere sweater, it takes four to five goats to produce enough fiber to be spun. The heightened demand has created desertification from over grazing, leading to climate changes and dust-borne air pollution in countries like China. The now barren grasslands topsoil is swept up into the air and mixes with the industrial pollution, degrading the air quality. The cruel neglect and treatment does not stop at the animals. Clothing factory working conditions and pay has become the leading cruelty factors in creating garments.
To ensure the quality of life for both humans and animals in creating garments, the brand will reduce its carbon footprint by balancing the use of dead-stock fabrics, recycled yarns, hand crafted eco-conscious and sustainable materials from local venders, farmers and local factory run for production to preserve the integrity and craftsmanship to help slow down fast fashion and to elevate the sustainable fashion industry.
eclectic folk
Abstracted past and present layers of prints and textures for a contemporary fall collection.
Stacked stripes
What is a stripe?
Stacked Stripes pushes the boundaries in how we view and understand a stripe through manipulations.
redefined
Redefined object of use.
Using image algebra, Redefined explores the role of objects, their defining mechanism creating form and function and reinterpreting a new physical form to create a new redefined object of use.
M | W
Wo[Men] = W|M creating pieces with blurred gender
Through deconstructing the past standards of gender and appearances, we can reinvent the present notions of dressing to accommodate men, women and everyone in between. We have the power and capability to wear garments that represent our personalities and feelings and I would like to capture those elements through varying fabrics and silhouettes. Since each person is multidimensional, their clothing should be able to reflect that too. Layers of emerging surfaces of printed and manipulated fabrics laced and woven together like a stream of consciousness. Imagery pushing and pulling in and out of focus as the fabrics move along the body.
