DIPLOMA PROJECT

 

 

The purpose of the diploma project at the Yerevan Academy of Fine Arts is to create an original clothing line, demonstrating a student’s technical proficiency and promise as a designer in high fashion industry. My project was inspired by the character of Dulcinea from Cervantes’ "Don Quixote". However, eventually the character grew into a single female warrior combining features of both Dulcinea as well as Don Quixote.

 

After spending much time perfecting the pieces, I made sure that the final, real life models looked exactly how I envisioned them. To achieve this, not only I had to create the clothing with intricate construction, including detailed inset panels and expertly finished bindings, but also appropriate headpieces and footwear, even though this was not a requirement for the project. In particular the headpieces I imagined were supposed to have an airy feel to them. Since I like to experiment with different materials and technologies when creating my works, I decided to make the headpieces from organic (acrylic) glass - a transparent and somewhat flexible material. Now, organic glass is quite a brittle material to work with, which bends only under high heat. So, I had to learn working with it at a local glass blowing factory. After spending much time on these I was finally able to achieve the visual fluidity and smoothness of the headpieces I aimed for.

 

With many new techniques and methods (such as 3d-printing and smart textiles) becoming available nowadays in apparel and textiles industry I think I will be perfectly fitted to utilize these novel techniques both in high fashion as well as in the mass market.