3. Circular Open Source Fashion¶
Research & Ideation¶
During the lecture, I was inspired by the idea of creating a seamless pattern, and my thoughts immediately went to chain mail. I wanted to explore the concept of integrating chain mail into my design, and as part of my research, I looked into the work of Paco Rabanne. His innovative use of chain mail in fashion, blending futuristic design with traditional techniques, sparked ideas for how I could incorporate a similar approach into my project. I plan to build on this by experimenting with both the structure and fluidity of chain mail, potentially developing a pattern inspired by the concept.
get inspired!
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0-waste modular dress - Stephanie Johnsons - TextileLab Amsterdam
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Modular balaclava - Mina Mayo Smith - FabLab Kamakura
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Assembly instructions & embedded message - Jessica Stanley - TextileLab Amsterdam
References & Inspiration¶
For this week's project, I was particularly inspired by the natural patterns found in scales, especially those of dragons, crocodiles, and reptiles. I had been working on a digital model of a dragon in the previous week, which guided my focus on scales. My design aims to incorporate scale mail, mimicking the layered structure of reptilian scales, and translating that into a functional and aesthetic form for my project.
- Paco Rabanne Unwearable dresses
- Image reference
Tools¶
Process and workflow¶
I did some research to find a way to create chain mail without having to assemble many individual parts. I found inspiration from I found inspiration from Cosplay tutorial armor EVA foam, or 3d printed chainmail, which showed an alternative method. that looked le it was inspired by a knitting loop
Design & paper prototyping¶
I started designing different scales in Illustrator, experimenting with various shapes and layouts. After finalizing a few designs, I printed them to prototype on paper, allowing me to visualize how they would come together.
After testing, I realized the initial design was too small and fragile. I returned to Illustrator to adjust the nesting and create scales of different sizes.
Material Testing¶
Next, I explored sustainable textile options. The FabLab suggested using leather, but I wanted to work with something more sustainable. I thought of Impuzu, a fabric we use at work, which aligns with my values around sustainability. This will also give the project a personal and unique touch.
Initially I tested Impuzu, a fabric made from the bark of Ficus thonningii. However, laser cutting proved challenging:
Thicker pieces of 0.9 mm burned when using many passes but didn’t cut with fewer passes. Thinner pieces (0.3mm thick) could be cut at 100% speed, 9% power, and 5 passes, but the resulting scales were too fragile and broke during assembly.
Switching to Leather¶
Due to the issues with Impuzu, I opted for leather, which was 1.2 mm thick. I combined three different colored leathers into a single 24x36-inch sheet for the laser cutter. After cutting, I assembled the pieces to form a cohesive cropped top.
