SENSUALITY
Partner project developed in collaboration with Gabrielle Todd (@gabriellectodd)
The archetype of the tracksuit was the starting point of this collection. The tracksuit was originally designed for athletics and later adopted as a sportswear fashion by subcultures such as the dutch gabbers. The gabbers were a subculture in the Netherlands known for their tracksuits, shaved heads, and use of stimulants at underground raves and clubs, while dancing to a type of hardstyle techno music that gained them their name.
Combining the archetypal research with our thematic research focusing on themes of sensuality, mystery, and fluidity, we designed a sportswear inspired collection that brings a sense of delicate dysfunction to the track suit.
We experimented with different textile manipulations such as dying with both textile dye as well as more nontraditional methods such as using India ink over transparent fabrics in order to mimic the sense of movement and water as well as to resemble one of our key research images. We also developed a loose stitching technique to add depth to the theme of transparency and dysfunction.
The energy of the collection is captured through our various textile manipulations and anchored by our refined finishings and sportswear details such as the drawstrings and elastic.