Creative Design: Professional

Exoskeleton

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Abstract

This design submission is the collaborative artifact created by three fashion design instructors and practitioners that aimed to combine their design skills via social interactive practice. A Japanese story,that of princess Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre, painted on woodblock by Kuniyoshi, U. (c. 1843 -1847), captured the imagination of the designers. In the painting, the princess summons a giant skeleton to help her revenge her father's death. Words derived from the story, such as 'mystery', 'power', 'presence', and 'deep black', were translated into materials and construction techniques after a two-month conceptual development process. The result is a high fashion look with an intriguing mix of crafted details that highlights each designer's expertise, as well as a material reflection of the rich creative experience and innovative employment of techniques inspired by ethnic storytelling.

Keywords: collaboration, metalsmithing, patternmaking

How to Cite:

Gorea, A., Mayer, J. & Conover, T., (2019) “Exoskeleton”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 76(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.8765