3. Circular Open Source Fashion¶
References & Inspiration¶
This week, I’m inspired by the work of Fabricademy alumni — Maite Sosa Methol for her Decorative Joints, Viviane Labelle for her Reconfigurable Dress, and Alve Lagercrantz for the One-Piece Garment.
Research & Ideation¶
This week I am exploring how can interlocking mechanisms enable adjustable folding systems that reconfigure fabric surfaces without sewing. My goal for circular design is to make the most out of one sheet of fabrice either by leaving the least waste cut or enable reconfigured endlessly and effortlessly
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I started by creating a simple grid in Rhino and designing a folding pattern to test on paper.
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Next, I tried the same pattern on fabric. This time I changed the slits to holes, but the size turned out a bit too big, so the connections were quite weak. Compared to paper, the fabric folds didn’t stay flat — they created more dimension and movement. I realized it would need extra connections to hold the creases in place.
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|---|---|---|
| Paper Joint Test | Felt Joint Test | Denim Joint Test |
- Now, I’m exploring different types of folding patterns. I was drawn to the Canadian lattice (honeycomb) smocking technique, like in Vivian Labelle’s work, but I wanted to see what would happen if the pattern could form itself—just through the fabric, without any extra connecting pieces.
Tools¶
Process and workflow¶
This week’s assignment involved a lot of iterative design—testing, adjusting, and reworking based on how each material behaved. Many designs worked well in the computer but not in real life—fine on paper, but not with denim or felt.
Real World Application¶
Building on the idea of adjustable folding systems and reconfigurable fabric surfaces, I decided to create an adjustable bag. The design adapts to the wearer’s needs.
Prototype 1¶
I moved from a one-way folding pattern to a multi-directional one so the bag could expand and shrink based on how it’s used. But since I didn’t test the pattern first, the spacing between the interlocking tabs ended up too small, making the joints weak and easy to tear.
