Kalopsia

The delusion of things being more beautiful than they really are.

Color, pattern, texture. When combined, a selcouth expression comes into being. This collection focuses on the abstract unity of different textures and colors, creating a strange yet marvelous look. These pieces are completely created from upcycled bedsheets which were laser cut and dyed. While we are constantly immersed in the consumer culture, with fast fashion at the forefront, my collection challenges our spending habits, as almost every material was found or donated. The title Kalopsia eludes to the idea that the looks were made from a mundane, everyday home good, but transformed into something more.

This collection was selected to participate in a prestigious annual fashion show titled Art2Wear, in which only ten participants are selected to create sustainable, extravagant looks that have to do with the theme word “selcouth” (adj. odd, unusual, or extraordinary in appearance, effect, manner, etc; peculiar. not known, seen, or experienced before). It was to be presented in April 2020, however, because of Covid-19, the show never happened and unfortunately the looks could not be completed.

Process

Inspiration Board

Who, what, where, and when is the inspiration coming from as a base for this collection.
Fabric Manipulation

Prototypes of different fabric manipulation and applique techniques to create texture and dimension.
Preliminary Sketches

Out of twenty first sketches two were chosen to focus on, followed by four more.
Muslin Mock-Up

Look 3 was created with zero waste, using entirely one piece of 56” x 92” piece of fabric. The mock-up ensured that the garment was possible to create.
Final Sketches

6 colorized sketches of the complete collection.
Technical Sketches

Each look, front and back showing garment construction.
Pattern Making

To create unique shapes and original designs, patterns were altered and tweaked to match the sketch.
Overdyeing

All of the fabrics came from old bedsheets. After patterns were made and colors were chosen, the sheets were cut out and dyed various colors.
Scrapplique

Fabric scraps after pieces had been cut out and dyed were sewn on to pattern pieces to create different textures.
Pinning Process

Each strip on Look 1 had to be sewn on individually, requiring meticulous pinning.