The purpose and underlying motivation for this project was to examine the procedure of garment construction methods, by specifically choosing to abandon traditional rules and standards that are associated with mass production. I chose to explore domestic hand-craft made by women in New Zealand in their domestic situation, focusing on hand-stitched techniques from the past reflecting a nostalgic value which potentially contributed to the garment’s construction process. The project sought to utilize the re-using of materials by incorporating previously made hand-craft; and looked at the remaking of second-hand garments by means of deconstruction and reconstruction. Traditional hand-craft, in this context, refers to the use of craft forms not governed by principles of efficiency, mass production or technology, allowing the garments to contain unique ‘one of a kind’ hand-made qualities. My studio practice specifically focused on exploring the relationship between hand-craft and garment construction, by researching their application and integration into the garment’s structure, along with disrupting the orderly traditional production process. I was not focusing on the finished garment’s design. The project provided an opportunity to refocus my attention on the hand-made, as I perceived that the skills required to produce these were being extinguished by modern lifestyles. Exploration promoted new discoveries by exposing the construction process and revealing unpredicted combinations. The project explored these ideas, resulting in a range of women’s garments that revealed, as part of their construction, hand-work which offered a modern variation of nostalgia. This project comprised of 80% practical work and will be accompanied by an exegesis with a value of 20%.

The purpose and underlying motivation for this project was to examine the procedure of garment construction methods, by specifically choosing to abandon traditional rules and standards that are associated with mass production. I chose to explore domestic hand-craft made by women in New Zealand in their domestic situation, focusing on hand-stitched techniques from the past reflecting a nostalgic value which potentially contributed to the garment’s construction process. The project sought to utilize the re-using of materials by incorporating previously made hand-craft; and looked at the remaking of second-hand garments by means of deconstruction and reconstruction. Traditional hand-craft, in this context, refers to the use of craft forms not governed by principles of efficiency, mass production or technology, allowing the garments to contain unique ‘one of a kind’ hand-made qualities. My studio practice specifically focused on exploring the relationship between hand-craft and garment construction, by researching their application and integration into the garment’s structure, along with disrupting the orderly traditional production process. I was not focusing on the finished garment’s design. The project provided an opportunity to refocus my attention on the hand-made, as I perceived that the skills required to produce these were being extinguished by modern lifestyles. Exploration promoted new discoveries by exposing the construction process and revealing unpredicted combinations. The project explored these ideas, resulting in a range of women’s garments that revealed, as part of their construction, hand-work which offered a modern variation of nostalgia. This project comprised of 80% practical work and will be accompanied by an exegesis with a value of 20%.

This work is a proposal for a new way of garment construction in the field of transformable outdoor gear. Inspired by the need of adapting towards changing weather conditions, the project aims to develop alternative transforming mechanisms for multifunctional hiking garments based on biomechanical studies as well as body mappings in order to replace the commonly used layering-system of clothes and therefore increase the value of single outdoor garments. The project supports the idea that user interaction and multifunctionality lead towards appreciation and an extended lifespan of single garments. The result is a series of 5 garments that each suggest new transforming features in relation to various functions.

The design project presented here explores the relation between body and a garment. It is concerned simultaneously with the fundamental notion of a garment and the act of dressing. The project can be contextualized as a constructive design research since the aim does not involve analysis of the material world nor rational problem solving. Rather, the aim is to create new imaginary realities, and visualize them. As a startup method to construct a theory, workshops were set up using life size vertical action collages, in order to integrate the act of dressing with the aim to develop a new construction method. Two actors, one of them myself, were used to provide a greater diversity of perspectives and interpretations. A method of dressing which involved interlocking the body - limbs and waist - with vertically hanging textiles, was developed through the search for the holes, that constitute the infrastructure of a garment. The results are both artefacts, that visualize the new garment construction as well as a new routine of dressing through the novel method of garment construction. Dressing a body in textiles through interlocking which results in an intimate connection between body and the garment as the body reacts to the garment and vice versa. The motivation for exploring the act of dressing is an urge to reflect upon the fast evolving society of today which tends to emphasize a static relationship between body and a garment.

This work starts with a simple question of ; Why not to draw the garment directly on the body since this is the way it will inevitably be worn? Working through steps; wrapping into a fabric and drawing the garment on the body to reveal lines for constructing that is directly based on the body, this work shows an alternative way of constructing a garment; the result that is presented can be seen as a base for further development within the field this method has explored. Further, the work challenges the current norms in archetypical garments with the intention to redefine their expression, where the methods aim is to broaden the field of garment construction, investigating the gap between construction lines and material expectations. The method Write Drunk/ Edit Sober is both discovering the fundamentals of garment construction and questioning the systematic interpretations we place on a garments connection to materials.

This work serves as an exploration of how garments life can be extended through the possibility of updating it post-use with natural pigment printing. Flat garment construction is explored for the possibility of taking garments apart to update them with print during their lifetime. The technique of naturally printing in combination with flat garment construction can potentially lead to garments that will change over time, dependent on the wearer which creates an emotionally durable design, writing the history of time into the garments.

This work is a proposal for an alternative approach to working with print, making the printing process a key element within designing. It is an investigation into flat garment construction between fabric layers, as this enables for the printing to be used in place of sewing. Additionally, working with multiple textile layers connects with the reference of the peeling wallpaper, which is used as a base for material and form developments. The aim of the work is to develop a more holistic approach and new expressions in garment-making in relation to the application of printing processes within textile layers. The main objective is to present a new perspective of the relationship between garment pattern and print, bringing the later forward. Not only does the surface print, through the interaction of colour and texture provide an important element in terms of creating expression, but it additionally acts as a construction element. Moreover, by using the process of printing to create form the element of print becomes integrated into the process of garment-making.

Kinesio taping constructions are translated into garment construction in order to explore different principles for integrating kinesio taping devices and applying them to function and well-being in an everyday sports context. The significance of this project lies in developing sportswear that integrates similar functions to a Kinesio Tape. Recurring physical ailments are addressed with garments to improve flexibility between the health problem and kinesiology taping functions. A series of design experiments integrating elastic tapes and involving test subjects led to new perspectives in the field. Within the process, different principles were tested that mimic the function of a Kinesio Tape. The developed prototypes were fitted to specific test subjects and then tested with the help of a user test during an activity. The process showed that the subject area still leaves much room for further research. Specifying the field of application more is one possibility.