BodyText1
Cephalopod and Plume
Student: Olivia Fierro, University of Delaware, Senior
Sponsor: Adriana Gorea
We can learn a lot from looking outside of ourselves and observing how other organisms inhabit their worlds, relating through commonalities and finding inspiration in differences. The octopus, born with amazing color and texture altering abilities, is content in its role. It spends its whole life reveling in its being, forging and protecting as necessary as it indulges in its curiosities. While the colors and textures of this collection were inspired by its physical skin, the essence is inspired by the octopus's way of living. The hope is for the wearer to flourish within their own skin, relax into their being, and rekindle their curiosity of life. Keeping a slow self-reflective creative mindset, each garment features subtle gradations in color, much like the strokes of an artist's brush. I employed color blocking and hand felting to create these differences. With these techniques, I was able to create my own patterns and textures, which also eliminated the need for extra fabric trimmings, piece work, and dying. The collection originated in the Senior Collection course, under the advisement of Katya Roelse. Both designs were accepted to 2016 Internationanl Textiles and Apparel Association (ITAA) Design Exhibition in Vancouver, British Columbia.
