Portfolio

in\asense concept

In\asense is a multisensory fashion project that challenges the way we experience clothing, expanding it beyond the visual and tactile to include sound, smell, and emotional memory. Developed during the Fabricademy program, it reimagines garments as experiential interfaces—intimate vessels of memory, perception, and interaction.

The project began with a participatory experiment: an anonymous individual was asked to describe two deeply personal life experiences using a sensory evaluation tool inspired by Jinsop Lee’s “Design for All 5 Senses.” This method helped capture which senses were most activated during each moment, providing an emotional and data-driven foundation for the designs. From this, two complete looks were created—each one translating the dominant sensory impressions of those memories into wearable form.

The first look interprets the feeling of being submerged in a cold river during a music festival. With sound and touch as the main senses, the garments explore tension, isolation, and awakening. Materials include bamboo jersey, crystallized tights, spiked 3D printed structures, and embedded sound components controlled by a stretch sensor. The second look evokes the euphoric memory of riding a motorcycle in the Azores, where smell and sight were key. This design features scented bioplastic flowers, blooming reed sculptures, and textures reminiscent of volcanic landscapes.

In both cases, the clothing is interactive: it changes through sound and movement, smell and proximity, or engagement, inviting the audience to participate in the sensory narrative. Viewers are then asked to respond to each look using the same 5-senses graph—adding their interpretation to a growing collective archive of perception.

In\asense also includes a Material Catalog that documents all experimental textiles and bio-based materials used, promoting sustainability and hands-on innovation. A short fashion film co-created with Dissecadu (film), Unpsii & José João Lopes (sound) and Inês Furtezinhos (performer) further immerses viewers into the project’s emotional world.

Ultimately, In\asense is about empathy, memory, and sensory diversity. It invites a rethinking of how fashion can reflect not just who we are, but how we feel and perceive. It asks: what if clothing could make you hear a memory, smell a feeling, or wear a moment? This project is both a personal journey and an open invitation—for fashion to become a more embodied, emotional, and inclusive language.

presentation

IN\ASENSE by Carolina Beirão

final project video

process video

thesis

gallery