Gemilang Costume and Fashion by Christabell Wei Xin Lim |
Home > |
 |
|
||||
| DESIGN DETAILS | |||||
| DESIGN NAME: Gemilang PRIMARY FUNCTION: Costume and Fashion INSPIRATION: As a costume designer, narrative is the main motive in my design. I have always taken inspiration from my roots and culture and this garment is made to tell the story of Malaysia. The unique culture and unity we have as a multi-racial country. Hence, I took design inspiration from the crescent moon and 14-pointed star in our national flag, Jalur Gemilang which represent unity. I used these elements as the main silhouette for the garment. UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: A sculptural garment inspired by Malaysia's national flag, Jalur Gemilang. It is to honour the history, culture and heritage of Malaysia uniting together as a whole. Moreover, it aims to blend modernity and innovate the potential of Malaysia's traditional wear and textiles. The crescent moon and star on the flag, which stood for the unification of the thirteen states is the main inspiration for the silhouette design. The sculptural corset is made out of Batik, Malaysia's traditional hand-blocked fabric. The Batik's print motif is Bunga Raya, our national flower and a symbol of unity for the country. OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: The dress is worn first and then the corset on top of it. The train has to be arrange nicely and evenly to show the star shape. PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project started in June 2024 and is completed in July 2024. |
PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The corset is fully hand sewn using millinery techniques and materials. The moon shape is made out of a millinery wire base covered with Crin, then lastly covered by the Batik fabric. The millinery wire base is to provide main pillar support for the shape and the Crin is to provide the stiffness over the surface before covering it with the final Batik fabric. Bonings are also used to support the skirt hem of the corset ensuring that it does not collapse. The 14-pointed star train dress is a boned bodice dress made out of heavy satin fabric. Fully french seamed to give a clean, luxury look. SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: The corset is 70cm x 40cm x 77cm The dress train has a 60cm radius TAGS: Costume, Fashion, Wearable Art, Heritage Wear RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Design research is done by deconstructing the flags into single elements then generate design through collaging and drawing to inform the main silhouette of the garment. A design is finalised by combining all the different silhouette that would work together and create the visual impact and narrative that I want on my garment. Another research is material sourcing. Batik being the fabric choice because it has a history of two cultures merging into one which forms Baba Nyonya, the descendants of inter-racial marriage between Malay and Chinese and they traditionally wear Batik in their everyday life. In modern days now, batik is the choice for Malaysian disregard your culture and race during formal occasions or just for everyday clothing. Therefore, it is the best fabric to represent our culture and unity. I have also done research on the production process of the Batik fabric and local sellers and maker who does handmade batiks. The fabric has to be traditional hand drawn or blocked Batik fabric because I want the garment to really represent the people and local communities of Malaysia, thus, factory printed Batik is not an option. I have found a local batik seller that stocks hand blocked Batiks that is made my local artisans in the state Terengganu which is one of the states that is known for its Batik production. CHALLENGE: Main challenge of this garment is to create a symmetrical clean silhouette for the corset. This challenge is overcome by high precision in pattern cutting for both the wire base and corset's skirt. The wire base is curved and shape on top of a drawn paper pattern ensuring each piece of wire has the same curve and length. The wires are then binded together by hand using thread for precision in placement as well. ADDED DATE: 2024-09-03 16:45:14 TEAM MEMBERS (1) : IMAGE CREDITS: Image #1 to #5: Photograher Geng Bing, Hair & Make-up Artist Omar Samara, Model Yujun Zeng |
||||
| Visit the following page to learn more: https://bit.ly/3XEW1Mm | |||||
| CLIENT/STUDIO/BRAND DETAILS | |
 |
NAME: Christabell Wei Xin Lim PROFILE: Malaysia-born artist and costume designer, now based in London. Graduated from the London College of Fashion with a BA in Costume for Performance. Specialising in sculptural and contemporary costume design; fabric manipulation and material experimentation is also her main practice. Her practice delves deeply into the interaction between garments and the body, utilising this relationship to convey narratives and stories to the audience. She also often traces back into her roots and culture as main inspiration for her work. |
| SOCIAL |
| + Add to Likes / Favorites | Send to My Email | Comment | Testimonials |
  |
 |
