The DNA of a Garment
Brief: "De-construct a garment, this fashion item can be a blouse, a skirt, a bag or a
hat. Allow yourself to become an anthropologist who through the desconstruction of a fashion item will be able to explore the anatomy of the piece, the origination of the materials, the aesthetics and therefore will take you to tackle the role of fashion as functional necessity, expression, identity, and culture"
The garment I chose to ‘deconstruct’ and explore for this project was a little green top which I bought in 2017 from Urban Outfitters in 2017.
My initial response to the brief was to create my own version of a ‘blueprint’ where I depicted a ‘deconstruction’ of different elements of the garment.
(Above) sketch of project plan
Categories of deconstruction (and sub-topics explored):
Label
- Brand label
- Instruction inside label
Straps
- Spaghetti straps
Brand
- Urban Outfitters
Buttons
- Fabric covered shank buttons
Cami
- History of the ‘cami’
Color
- Forest green
Fabric
- Viscose
(Above) Close ups of blueprint
Development
After I started working on this project and analyzing this piece in more detail, it got me thinking about why this item means so much to me.
My Dad and I love to travel and this top, in particular, I associate a lot with the idea of traveling since it been so many places with me and I consider it a traveling staple.
When I think about this top, it makes me think of my love for traveling and my amazing memories around the world with my Dad. I wanted to try and communicate this through my work and so I worked on developing my project to add more depth and link in my personal connection to the garment.
(Above) Moodboard
(Above) Sketches for development
Since I purchased it in 2017, I have taken this top to:
Guatemala
El Salvador
Honduras
Costa Rica
France
Spain
Australia
Qatar
The Czech Republic
The United States (over 15 states)
Canada
The United Kingdom
I chose 8 images that I took on these travels (which I have strong memories attached to). I chose to use images that have a personal memory associated with them rather than images that showcase tor indicate the country. For Australia, I could have shown a picture of Sydney Opera house or for the United Kingdom I could have used an image of central London and Big Ben, but instead, I used a picture of the beach taken on Christmas day near my families home and a picture I took whilst on my horse in the forest.
(Above) images from some of these trips. I chose these images due to the memories they represent rather than the countries they were taken in. These images (left to right) were taken in Whistler (Canada), Terrigal (Australia), The New Forest (England and where I grew up), New York City (The United States and my current home), Suchitoto (El Salvador, this image I took after a hike up a waterfall), The Grand Canyon, Arizona (The United States, my first time traveling alone), Prague (The Czech Republic, New Years this year with my Dad, La Fortuna (Costa Rica).
The postcard idea came from the fact that I tend to collect postcards and send them back home to friends and family when I travel, something which I did consistently this past summer when I traveled alone for the first time (and still do now whilst I’m at college). I liked the idea of creating ‘postcards of memory’.
(Below) Final digital graphic designs for each of my 8 ‘postcards’. Each features the place, my top, and the name of the place I was when I took each reference image picture
I am really happy with how this project turned out and the thought that went into creating the final products. I feel as though I have captured the brief two different ways, a more technical approach and a more sentimental one. Overall, I efficiently and successfully analyzed this garment and delved into its ‘DNA’ in two different yet equally valid ways which I feel as though help to showcase the piece and what it means to me.
