A school fashion design project inspired by Salvador Dali & Sigmund Freud.
My Role
■ Creative Director, Fashion Designer, Illustrator
This was a school project where we had to design a fashion collection based on an artist. The artist that I chose was Salvador Dali.
I have long been inspired by Dali's surrealism and juxtaposition. But I was also inspired by Sigmund Freud's theory on human personality, the Id, Ego, and Superego. He described these as the moral decision making that one goes through, similar to the analogy of having the angel and devil on your shoulders. Thus, the Id represents instinct and impulsion - the devil, the Ego represents reason and reality - the human and lastly, the Superego represents values and morality - the angel.
Using these, I wanted to depict a series of rude awakenings through morality and dilemmas.
The first look is inspired by the idea of being "tongue tied" / "biting your tongue". The long trail of fabric that runs from the brim of the hat, to the waist, to the hem, under the legs and beyond represents the tongue. Since it is attached from the hat to the waist, if the model forgets for a second and overextend their head in any direction, they would be immediately reminded of their tongue being tied; a rude awakening. This represents one notion of biting your tongue. The caged hobble skirt limits mobility. In addition, by having the "tongue" under the feet causes the wearer to be aware of their steps - similar to tripping over one's words and biting their tongue. The garment is made of stitched leather to show every time the wearer has bitten their tongue.
The second look is inspired by "the burden of kindness". Being kind to others in times of need is respectful, but there are times when it can be a detriment to oneself. Sometimes, it can feel like overextending oneself to exhaustion, and thus faced with the dilemma of whether or not to help another. Other times, it may feel like others have taken advantage of the kindness, thus it becomes a burden. This garment represents the weight and turmoil of kindness through the exaggerated shoulders, the overextended arms, the headdress that is supported through the ears, and the mask. The mask would be made out of charmeuse to contrast the grotesqueness.
The third look is inspired by having an epiphany, another form of rude awakenings. A series of events has to happen for an epiphany to happen. Usually something life changing that causes a sudden realization. Oftentimes, a consequence from an action. A realization is more than just what is seen on the surface, it is seen through the heart and the mind. That is why the eyes are covered, whereas the heart and mind is exposed. There is also a third eye and bridge piercing to reinforce the idea of seeing with the mind. Everything builds up slowly, but quickly to a central point in the mind, causing a sudden explosion. A revelation, a realization, an epiphany.
This is the last design of the collection. The fourth look is inspired by growing pains, the loss of innocence, puberty; all are forms of rude awakenings. After an epiphany, there is a moment of reflection, acceptance, and then moving on. Traditionally, a wedding veil symbolizes modesty, obedience, and chastity. Historically, it originates from Ancient Greek and Roman traditions. Instead of white, the brides wore bright red to resemble fire to ward off evil spirits. The veil, along with her bridesmaids were meant to disguise the bride and act as decoys for the evil spirits. However, the veil also limited the bride’s vision, which was why she was sent off by her father. Thus, the red veil on the hat of this design is broken, tasseled, to show the idea of having a clearer vision - a realization, breaking free from traditions and seeing things for what they really are. The dove skeleton on the top of the hat represents the loss of innocence. Lamb wool is used on this design as it is a symbol of innocence. On the garment, they also represent puberty. Lastly, the flowers are gardenias, known for purity and innocence, to represent females; whereas anthuriums are used to represent males. Together, in contrast and harmony, accepting their growing pains, the loss of innocence, and puberty.
Collectively, I designed a mini collection based on Rude Awakenings, Morality and Dilemmas inspired by Salvador Dali and Sigmund Freud.
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