Children of the Cyborg Couture by Weijing Xiao |
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| DESIGN DETAILS | |||||
| DESIGN NAME: Children of the Cyborg PRIMARY FUNCTION: Couture INSPIRATION: Children of the Cyborg is a nongendered couture piece investigating post pandemic femininity. It adopted the framework theory from scholar Donna Haraway and A Cyborg Manifesto in the 80s, which addressed a cyborg human future and hope of gender equity. Using jellyfish and its self reproducing ability as a metaphor, the designer translated this fluid cyborg dream poetically through silhouette, material, and her innovative approach to couture making. UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Through intricate cutting and draping, the designer created this piece from only one piece of fabric and constructed otherworldly and elegant shapes without any elaborate understructure support. This project challenged the notion of femininity in traditional couture through proportion shifts, accentuating shoulder back, and front hip instead of chest and waist. OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: In this piece, the designer eliminated elaborate under constructions usually seen in couture and developed organic techniques to integrate fabric with silhouette and body. Instead of segmenting a garment into modular sections, she treats it as an organic entity. The flowing, airy, otherworldly, and elegant silhouette grows solely from one rectangular piece of pleated organza. It is a delicate confrontation to the traditional expression of femininity and a portrait of a nongendered cyborg utopia. PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in February 2021 and finished in May 2021 in New York. It was exhibited in Cristobal Balenciaga Museum in Spain in 2021 and 2022 and was subsequently acquired by the its permanent collection in 2022. FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Fashion, Apparel and Garment Design |
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The designer developed bespoke constructions such as the slash and pleat method and mixed grainline draping. She studied the behaviors of the stiff pleated organza and applied organic and fluid treatment by hand to the garment. The joint collar extended down the dress body, then winded towards the skirt hem, while the sleeves emerged from the back volume. With just one piece of fabric, she adapted sustainable and minimalistic thinking and reinterpreted couture techniques in a cyborg world. SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: WIDTH 500mm x DEPTH 400mm x HEIGHT 1600mm TAGS: cyborg, couture, pleating, wearable art, utopia, fashion, femininity, design, non-gendered, gender-fluid RESEARCH ABSTRACT: This project centers around the theories in A Cyborg Manifesto by Donna Haraway. The designer researched the relationship of technology and body, nature and man, and chose the metaphor of jellyfish and its self generating ability to describe this cyborg utopia of gender equity. She studied various archives of couture garments with corsets, underskirts, lining, and fabric treatment and developed methods to replace these elaborate constructions with organic techniques and sensitivity to fabrics. CHALLENGE: To preserve the organic properties of fabrics and achieve their most natural application, the designer conducted thorough draping research to understand the behavior of organza. In order to remove a modular design thinking, it was critical to reconsider where the contour met the fabric and how the construction could allow body movements. Through experimentation, she developed new construction methods such as slash and pleat sleeves and indicated alternative approaches to couture making. ADDED DATE: 2022-10-31 16:23:16 TEAM MEMBERS (1) : IMAGE CREDITS: courtesy of the designer |
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| Visit the following page to learn more: https://www.weijingxiaony.com | |||||
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NAME: Cristobal Balenciaga Museum PROFILE: One of a kind in the world, the venue has become the first large museum of its type dedicated exclusively to a fashion designer. Developed under the tutelage of the Cristobal Balenciaga Foundation, the Museum has accepted the mission of promoting, disseminating and making the most of the significance, relevance, importance and prominence of the brilliant designer himself and of his work in the world of artistic creation in general and ore specifically, of fashion and haut couture. The Museum, in addition to exhibiting more than 3,000 items, seeks to become an international center, involved in education, dissemination and investigation within the area of the fashion couturier. |
| AWARD DETAILS | |
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Children of The Cyborg Couture by Weijing Xiao is Winner in Fashion, Apparel and Garment Design Category, 2022 - 2023.· Read the interview with designer Weijing Xiao for design Children of the Cyborg here.· Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Weijing Xiao. · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Weijing Xiao. |
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