Fashion Design

‘Soarigami’ Biodress

I created a dress from raw materials, inspired by the shapes of Japanese origami and colors of the natural earth. The bottom of the dress is made from sheets of bioplastic folded into origami flowers; formulating a recipe for the BioPlastic took much trial-and-error and the materials used to make the bio plastic on the skirt include glycerin, potato starch, gelatin, and natural addons (turmeric, flower petals, sesame seeds) in order to color and texturize the plastic. After drying for days, the bioplastic sheets were formed into origami flowers and placed on the skirt of the piece. Additionally, I intricately weaved burlap, another environmentally friendly biomaterial, to form the top of the piece.

This piece is named Soarigami because it embodies my hopes in how the fashion industry will develop, and soar, in the near future. The origami used throughout my piece symbolizes the creativity in sustainable fashion, and shaped into flowers, encourages the blooming and blossoming of new eco-friendly fashion trends.

Submitted to Scholastic Art & Writing Competition 2023

Self Reflection Tile Dress

Every other spring, Violets Giving Circle, a student-led group at my school, Marlborough, builds a massive event in Los Angeles to benefit a particular cause. Students show their artistic work at the event through fashion outfits, photos, and films. The primary source of money raised is through ticket sales of their biennial event, online, and live auctions.

The theme for the Fashion Show this year was “Self Portrait: Frame Your Own Story”. Reflecting on my own life, I realized that the most vibrant aspects of my personality and identity are the experiences I have and the people I surround myself with. I wanted my piece to reflect my connection to the world around me, and therefore I worked with small mirrors.

In April 2023, my classmate modeled my piece at the Violets Giving Circle Fashion show.

Enduring Couture BioDress

I created a fully organically-sourced dress, inspired by rustic wedding bouquets, the inside of a greenhouse, which often has rich greens and delicately dangling plants, and the structure of cage dresses. I used a variety of microgreen species, eucalyptus, bouquets of flowers which I dried, and the stems of those flowers to construct the final dress shape and wing.

This piece embraces the raw qualities of nature. My hope in creating the model is to find natural beauty, and encourage the shift in fashion to becoming more sustainable. Additionally, I introduced the aspect of ‘Function in Fashion’ with the top petal of the wing attachment that caves over the head, acting as a shade. Enduring Couture highlights the aspects of unique fashion, unlimited style, and function without using polyester and other commonly-used fabrics that will kill our planet.

Submitted to Scholastic Art & Writing Competition 2022

Front View
Wing
Front Close Up
Cage
45 ° View

Spring & Full Bloom Lehenga

Every other spring, Violets Giving Circle, a student-led group at my school, Marlborough, builds a massive event in Los Angeles to benefit a particular cause. Students show their artistic work at the event through fashion outfits, photos, and films. The primary source of money raised is through ticket sales of their biennial event, online, and live auctions.

I participated in the Violets Giving Circle fashion show, where I was inspired by Indian couture. Keeping in mind this year’s theme of Spring and Full Bloom, I played around with the rich colors and busy patterns of Indian culture while also incorporating the clean lines of western design. By the end, I had made a clean, vibrant, and comfortable fusion Indian outfits.

At the VGC Drive-In festival, my outfit won the category of Spring and Full Bloom. Below are some photos of my outfit. Here is the website link to the 2021 show and participants.