Out of all the designs I chose this one because of how the restrictive garment and skin link together.
As we all know straitjackets are used in hospitals on those who have severe mental issues and could be a danger to themselves and to other people.
The skin is the largest visible organ on our body, so when it presents symptoms that people may find embarrassing or makes them feel ugly, it can make us more susceptible to mental health issues. I’m not saying that every person who feels insecure about their skin is going to end up in a mental hospital, however, I am trying to show an overly exaggerated visual expression of how skin malfunctions can make us feel.
We’ve all heard of the term ‘trapped in your own skin’, and we associate this with feelings of discontent and unhappiness with our body – the straitjacket covered in symptoms of the malfunctions is a metaphor for this. When someone is wearing the garment I have created, they will literally be trapped in malfunctioning skin with no perceivable way out.
Something I have not really touched on in my project of malfunction is how we get back to functioning properly. Our bodies are all unique, so essentially there are many different causes of the same malfunction; what may be causing someone else’s eczema might be completely different from what is causing yours. This what makes the ‘way out’ so difficult to find, yet with hard work and effort, just like Houdini, malfunction can be escaped. This is another reason why I chose a straitjacket because everyone knows there is a way out, they just don’t know how to do it and it seems very difficult.
I’ve decided to choose the straitjacket over the other designs because there is so much meaning and context as well as physically being very experimental. While it may be a classic shape design and not something extravagant like the other design, it has so much more to offer and I think an audience is more likely to connect to it and think differently about how our body conveys everyday malfunction. I am also pleased that I am creating something other than a dress, so this is another reason as to why my designs are insightful and require a lot of thought and research behind them so they can be the best they can and provide a message.
My chosen design was developed from when I combined an initial design of stitched skin patches with the influence of the restrictive garment, the straitjacket.
I initially was inspired by the old style of the garment which had long sleeves and buttoned down the front, however since my project focuses more on the modern-day malfunction, I updated the design.
In this, I changed the straps to the back and sleeves then completely removed buttons from the design. I did this so that there was less ‘going on’ in the front and the viewer can focus more on the malfunctioning skin. I’m still not sure about using straps altogether because it’s still quite a big distraction on the back and I’m not trying to make a replica of a straitjacket, just to use its principles to further enforce my idea of self-inflicted malfunction. I perhaps might revise my design to reflect this and use minimal restraint that still works just not as much as a normal one. I was going to use buckles covered in handmade paper, however, I think they will be too brittle and not big enough, so I might swap them for poppers and simple tie straps.
After creating some experimental samples of skin, I thought the initial plain skin coloured fabric would be boring. Adding different materials and using a variety of manipulation techniques allows my work to have further depth and be more creative and eye-catching.
The samples are based on the common skin conditions I have researched and mind-mapped as to how I could replicate the colour, shape and texture. Most of the skin samples are from primary pictures I could find of the most common skin conditions with the addition of secondary resources for conditions like vitiligo.
When I reviewed my design, I realised I was fixating too much on replicating the skin conditions exactly, which caused me to not be experimental and very rigid in my samples. From this I decided to not focus on replicating them exactly and instead take inspiration from certain elements of the appearance and combine them in a variety of samples. Not all skin is the same, so the same condition may present different symptoms, which is why it’s important to collate all the symptoms.
I developed my samples from previous ones I had created after reflecting on what worked well and what didn’t.
In the first vein sample I created, I loved and the only way to improve it was to experiment with other fabrics, as it was a bit dull. I tried a stretchy cotton fabric and although it created an awesome bleeding effect that fitted in well, I struggled to embroid it and it kept puckering. I then tried the same design on some crinkled greaseproof paper and it worked really well! I was worried that the paper wouldn’t absorb the watercolour but it worked and I was able to add more texture to my samples.
I developed this chamois sample by changing it from wrinkles to bulges by adding material stuffed underneath this. I also added red chaffing marks using gauze to further cement this idea. This sample was inspired by Yiqing Yin with a lot of her work including draped ruffles and folds.
The scoby sample was inspired by Suzanne Lee. I created too samples however one was quite thick which means it would be harder to sew, so perhaps it will need to be joined through hand stitches.
These samples were inspired by vitiligo as I wasn’t keen on the card cut-out version. I simply improvised and experimented with instant coffee and sponges on two different fabrics. The stretchy fabric created a darker coloured print compared to the rigid cotton fabric which came out quite light. I decided to go with the darker fabric but I still felt as though it was too plain and not explorative enough. I added some embroidery around the patches and I like how it breaks things up a little bit but perhaps I needed to think about an alternative colour for maximum impact.
My next sample was of handmade paper with strips ripped out before the drying process. I felt as though the shape and colour was boring and looked half-finished on its own, so I think this could be part of a layer of handmade paper instead. This will enable the sample to convey great texture through the holes in the layers and the colour juxtaposition.
I then experimented with folding techniques of different materials. I picked hessian because the texture felt like dry skin but I think on its own it was plain and didn’t visually show malfunction. perhaps adding some hot glue or gems will create more visual texture and interest.
The next sample was using a material that I don’t usually use and that was felt. I was drawn towards it because of how the soft texture could provide a different angle of malfunction than always using rough surfaces. I like how you can blend felt into each other seamlessly which is great for making the colours less harsh. I think I could create more alternative consistency by mixing this soft matt media with something contrasting like shiny gems or beads. They could provide a different shape and form that is hard to create using such a flexible product.
The gauze splattered with ‘blood’ is linking the idea of the ‘bandaid’ approach to malfunction. Instead of treating the root cause of the malfunction, most modern medicine offers pills to treat the symptoms. It’s a very simple sample but I think it was needed to break up all the ‘busy’ samples that could be around it.
The white sample was made by stuffing fabric to make lumps, which was inspired by wrinkles and lots of skin conditions that include any raised surface. I thought the lumps needed to be flatter which is why I added embroidery, however I think I need to rethink the choice of colour to red, to reflect the soreness of these lumps. I also think that I could use a thinner fabric as the thick cotton lumps were hard to see and it makes everything more rigid, which I think doesn’t reflect the skin.
The next sample is one of my favourites to feel and people often think it’s quite sad as to what it’s inspired from. I’ve always found how people’s skin deteriorates as they get older, fascinating. The skin almost feels like wet paper sliding around on bone and vein. The looseness often makes you think that it’s very fragile and could easily be ripped. These are all things I took into account when making this sample using loose plastic coated paper with thin, hard string beneath it. While, it doesn’t look like an old person’s hand, the feeling of the texture corresponds to my sample. Since my final piece will be wearable and won’t necessarily be touched, I want to make the sample look like what the feeling feels like. I will do this by simply adding PVA underneath the paper so that you can visibly see the vein-like strings.
This is my other chamois sample, which is quite different because it is very simply been cut up and resewn. I was inspired by the skin suit on Silence of the Lambs, considering that a chamois cloth is actually made from skin. I think this sample is more related to malfunction on the theory side than visually which is why I would like to add some further detail to the material in the real thing. Perhaps some beading? I don’t know how but I would really like to include my ideas of malfunction connectivity – that your malfunctions don’t just affect one part of your body, it can affect many areas.
The sample beneath came from purely experimenting with what I had. I had lots of cotton cleaning cloths that were very bland on their own so I decided to just add some soft pastels to see if the colour transferred. The technique worked and I had created bruise-like patches, so I developed this idea further by adding coloured string (to look like veins) and trapping it in gauze.
My final set of samples were very simple fabric tests which turned out really well.
The first test was inspired by wrinkles. I wanted to create a sample that very simply showed wrinkles and nothing else distracting from that. I found that by just pinching the fabric and sewing worked perfectly. I liked how the thread end created more line and texture, however I think they should be a different colour in the final outcome.
I created the scraped sample using a toothbrush and some red watercolour. I found that it looked like a bloody cut or a scrape which is a type of accidental malfunction. I’m not sure if this on its own is too plain and not pushing my ideas enough, so I may have to add more colour or stitching.
The final sample was created using a variety of experimental sewing techniques, as I wanted to show different ways of how we manipulate skin. I think perhaps the colour is wrong and I think more 3D detail could be added to show the body modification side of things like piercings, plastic surgery and tattoos.
Based on my reflection on my samples and design, I created a revised version featuring how my garment shows malfunction visually and theoretically (explained above). During the making process, if anything changes or needs developing I will document this and my reasoning for it.
Viktoria Collins UAL FMP 