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Process

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Chaos as a Philosophical and Personal State – The Foundation of the "Chaos" Collection

In this project, I don't perceive chaos merely as a visual or technical concept. Instead, it is a deep-rooted human experience.
"Chaos" is a journey toward understanding the self by deconstructing order, embracing contradictions, and making peace with internal disruption.

Chaos, to me, is not a weakness or a flaw—it's a moment of raw honesty.
It is the point at which all masks fall away and the self appears as it is: confused, complex, filled with unspoken desires, doubt, and silent eruptions.

My Personal Philosophy on Chaos

To me, chaos is not a breakdown—it's a stage of birth.
It is how my identity forms—not through stability, but through trial, collapse, and reconstruction.
When I design, I begin from this place. I don’t seek perfection—I seek visual truth.
I use fabric, colors, layering, and materials as tools of confession, protest, and personal inquiry.

https://ashsouthard.medium.com/our-real-discoveries-come-from-chaos-fe89f67caa21


Chaos in Philosophical Thought

Heraclitus – Perpetual Change

Heraclitus saw conflict as the essence of life, where everything is in a state of flow.

“You cannot step into the same river twice.”
To him, chaos was not a defect, but a necessary condition for creation.

René Descartes – Doubt as a Path to Truth

Descartes introduced doubt as a philosophical method, positioning chaos as a mental state needed to reach clarity.
In my context, chaos reflects the space between doubt and identity.

https://strictlyanything.com/the-ideas-and-philosophies-of-rene-descartes/

Sigmund Freud – Inner Psychological Conflict

In his psychoanalytic theory, Freud described the Id as a primal, unconscious part of the psyche, driven by instinctual desires, in conflict with the Superego, which represents moral and societal constraints.
In my project, I visualize this tension through contradictions in form, texture, and silhouette.

https://www.urbanarts.com.br/quadro-colagem-freud-3-em-1-por-momendara/p

Gilles Deleuze – Chaos as Creative Force

Deleuze saw chaos not as something negative, but as the origin of new ideas.
For him, chaos is not the end—it is pure potential.
Inspired by his thinking, I approach design as an open-ended exploration, where nothing is fixed, and everything is possible.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/3917145/Gilles-Deleuze-portrait?tracking_source=search%7Cdeleuze

Gilles Deleuze

Gilles Deleuze


This philosophical and personal framing of chaos is central to my design process. It gives shape and meaning to how the garments evolve, how materials are chosen, and how emotions are encoded into fabric.

Designing and Developing the Collection

From the very first week, I chose the concept of "Chaos" with a focus on the academic fabrics I am working with, which made it easy for me to select and develop the concept. Based on this foundation, I created a clear and elegant moodboard, then sketched designs that directly express the idea.

I drew inspiration for the sketches from the concept of "Chaos" itself, with my drawings reflecting tension, entanglement, and the internal reflections of psychological conflict. These sketches served as a visual tool to transform abstract ideas into tangible designs. The "Chaos" collection has been a powerful source of inspiration for me, as my research, experimentation, and development of this concept have been ongoing since 2023, giving me depth and clarity in artistic expression.

Initially, the collection consisted of 15 outfits, but during the conceptual refinement process, it was reduced to 6 focused looks, each expressing a different aspect of inner conflict and psychological tension.

Fabrics and Colors:

  • Denim (Jeans) in dark blue, symbolizing stability and weight.
  • Transparent and delicate tulle, representing exposed psychological layers.
  • The collection’s colors: dark blue, white, and beige, reflecting the contrast between calmness and chaos.

John Galliano

John Galliano is known for his dramatic and provocative style, where he skillfully uses visual chaos and contrasts to create fashion that expresses complex stories filled with emotions and tensions. The chaos in his designs is not random but an apparent order displayed through multiple layers of fabrics, embroidery, and mixed materials that resemble an explosion of ideas and internal conflicts. Through chaos, Galliano reflects suppressed emotional and artistic sides, using it to portray psychological struggles, transformations, and multiple identities. This creates an atmosphere of tension and drama in his shows, making the audience feel like they are witnessing a scene from a complex dramatic story.
References:
- John Galliano: Fashion Revolutionary by Judith Watt, 2011
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11281476-john-galliano
- Vogue Magazine – Galliano Show Archive


Martin Margiela

Martin Margiela is a pioneer in deconstructing and reconstructing fashion, rearranging pieces in a seemingly disorganized and chaotic way that hides an intricate internal system. The chaos in Margiela's work is not random but organized, reflecting rebellion against traditional design rules. He uses techniques like dissection, deconstruction, and reverse assembly to reveal the hidden structure of garments, exposing unfinished or hidden components. Through this process, Margiela reflects the idea of chaos as a renewing state that opens space for interpretation and various readings, raising questions about identity and the self.
References:
- Margiela: The Hermès Years by Rachel Arthur, 2018
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39683791-margiela
- Margiela – The Exhibitions and Legacy


Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen used chaos as a fundamental element to express themes such as death, inner conflict, and fractured identity. His designs often blend beauty and horror, order and chaos, creating a constant tension between control and collapse. In his shows, chaos appears through unexpected shapes, contrasting materials, and theatrical style, making the designs resemble visual poems. McQueen employed chaos to express rebellion, psychological struggle, and continuous change, emphasizing the sensory and emotional aspect of chaos rather than it being merely random disorder.
References:
- Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty by Andrew Bolton, 2011
https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2011/alexander-mcqueen
- McQueen in Academic Journals – JSTOR

Moodboard and Sketching

Based on the deep research I conducted about the concept of chaos, fragility, and identity, I created a moodboard that visually embodies these ideas in a powerful way. The moodboard was not just a collection of images, but a translation of my emotions and experiences of inner conflict that I wanted to express. Through the moodboard, I was able to combine images reflecting the tension and contrast between strength and weakness, order and chaos, clarity and ambiguity.

This moodboard formed the emotional and aesthetic foundation of the entire collection, providing me with a cohesive artistic vision and helping me make clear decisions about the materials, colors, and details I would use.

Next, I began drawing hand sketches that express these ideas more personally and abstractly. The sketches visually embodied the psychological struggles I wanted to explore, such as:

  • Imbalance and asymmetry: These elements reflect the state of inner chaos, where there is no perfect balance or clear symmetry, but rather a tension and unexpected overlaps, similar to the psychological conflicts we live through.

  • Mixing delicate and rigid materials: In the designs, I used transparent and fragile fabrics like tulle to represent softness and vulnerability, combined with heavy and sturdy fabrics like denim to symbolize strength and stability. This mix creates a visual and tactile contrast reflecting the internal tension between weakness and strength.

  • Playing with transparency and coverage: The designs included transparent areas revealing inner layers, and other parts fully covered, symbolizing the idea of layered identity, where some aspects of the self are clearly visible while others remain hidden or concealed.

Overall, this phase was crucial because it allowed me to transform abstract ideas into tangible designs carrying a clear vision and deep expression of the theme of inner chaos. The hand drawing process was also a means of relaxation and free thinking, where new ideas emerged during sketching, leading to continuous development in the design.

Material and Dyeing Experiments

After defining the visual direction, I moved on to experimenting with materials. The initial plan included 15 outfits, but I reduced it to 6 focused looks that represent the core idea.

Fabrics used:
- Burgundy tulle, for its transparency and fragility.
- Denim in off-white, for its weight and solidity.

Colors: Burgundy and off-white.

Additional materials:
I also used thick threads in burgundy color to add texture and depth to the designs.

Dyeing experiments:

I conducted multiple experiments using natural dyes, the most notable being:

  • Combining turmeric with sodium carbonate, resulting in a color close to burgundy, which reflects emotional depth and psychological transformation.
  • Testing color fastness using vinegar, salt, and heat.

What distinguished my dyeing experience was the clarity I had from the very first weeks about the type of color effects I wanted to achieve. This made it easier for me to choose appropriate techniques and materials without hesitation or random trials. This clarity was the result of my intensive research and deep understanding of the concept I wanted to express, making the dyeing process consistent with the artistic vision of the collection.

Development of Biofabric

In my quest to explore chaos as an experience that unites contradictions, I decided to work on developing a sustainable biofabric that reflects this idea by combining natural materials with traditional fabrics. I focused particularly on agar-agar, a substance extracted from seaweed, known for its eco-friendly properties and its ability to be transformed into an organic fabric.

I conducted in-depth research on the physical and chemical properties of agar, and how it can be processed and transformed into a flexible yet fragile fabric layer, reflecting the volatile nature of chaos between stability and collapse.

Afterward, I undertook several practical experiments to blend agar with denim, aiming to create a hybrid fabric that merges the solid texture of denim with the organic, flexible character of agar. This blend allowed me to create pieces that visually and tactilely express the tension within the concept — the struggle between industrial and organic nature, between dominance and fluidity.

I also explored the effects of dyeing on this biofabric, studying color fastness and how agar interacts with natural dyes, especially colors extracted from turmeric which I used to obtain unique and distinctive shades.

This research and experimentation were not just technical development, but an attempt to infuse a new spirit into the fabrics, making each piece express a deep inner journey that reflects the contradictions and psychological conflicts addressed by the project.

Integration of 3D Printing

The aspect I dedicated relatively less focus to in the project was 3D printing. I drew random shapes inspired by the concept of chaos and integrated them with elements of surreal art to create unique designs. Afterwards, I experimented with printing these shapes onto tulle fabric, which allowed me to explore the interaction between 3D printing and the transparency of the delicate fabric. These experiments added a new dimension to the work, even though the main focus remained on developing bio-fabrics and dyeing experiments.

Next Steps and Reflection
The process was a blend of theoretical research and practical experimentation, with ongoing questions such as:
- What does chaos look like?
- How does it feel?
- Can it be expressed and worn?

My clear vision from the beginning helped me to direct my experiments methodically and achieve results consistent with the artistic concept of the collection. I plan to further develop these ideas and techniques in upcoming phases to deepen the narrative of internal conflict and embody it visually and tactilely.

Challenges and Technical Experimentation

I faced challenges in integrating natural fabrics with bio-materials, particularly regarding durability and flexibility. Additionally, some turmeric dyes did not fix well, which required repeated trials and improvements in the technique. Natural fixing methods such as vinegar and salt were tested, along with adjustments to soaking time and temperature.

Results and Next Steps

The experiments showed that combining traditional and innovative fabrics adds multiple layers of visual and symbolic interpretation to the garments.
These findings will be used to refine the final designs and possibly incorporate interactive technology (such as sensors) in some pieces to express vivid and realistic internal changes.