OUR BODIES ARE GARDENS, TO WHICH OUR WILLS ARE GARDENERS
CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS BA GRADUATE COLLECTION 2024
December 2023 - May 2024
After my placement year in 2023, I experienced a period of time where my body and I were at odds with each other: I was constantly fainting without warning due to stress from moving flats many times and poor eating habits. Seeing the MRI scans of my brain for the first time was like falling in love with my ‘ugly baby’; other people may not appreciate its complexity or see its beauty, but you do. I realized just how important my brain was as the core to my identity and the key to all the memories and experiences that made me who I am. Most of all, I realized just how little I knew my body inside. In a bid to make people see the beauty in the unsettling, a recurring motif throughout my collection are trompe d’œil prints; a play on “all is not what it seems” through
printmaking, transforming brains into flowers, flowers into uncanny-valley non-existent rendered plants with the use of AI. Existing shapes are forced into into a bizarre yet elegant representation of the natural world in a celebration of life’s ever-changing
transience.
The human body and a garden are not dissimilar – two systems likened by Shakespeare: much as a manicured garden inevitably contains malevolent bugs or weeds hidden in its shade, so may a well-trained body bear both desired fruits of labour and sprout uncontrollable tissues, unexpected wounds and fluids within a supposedly sturdy frame.
Special thanks to Preciosa for sponsoring my collection and British luxury accessories brand Elliot Rhodes for their belts.
The human body and a garden are not dissimilar – two systems likened by Shakespeare: much as a manicured garden inevitably contains malevolent bugs or weeds hidden in its shade, so may a well-trained body bear both desired fruits of labour and sprout uncontrollable tissues, unexpected wounds and fluids within a supposedly sturdy frame.
Special thanks to Preciosa for sponsoring my collection and British luxury accessories brand Elliot Rhodes for their belts.
Print Development – Analogue Processes
Print Development – AI and Digital
Processes
Midjourney is then
used to carefully fine-tune the resulting images into eerie prints that bridge
the uncanny valley, challenging and encouraging discussion about the transience
of life and the place of generative algorithms as a tool in the
heritage-focused world of luxury fashion. Printed on organza layered on duchess
satin and modern fabrics like neoprene to create a shimmering optical mirage,
these explosions of colour are carefully positioned over the body to suggesting
an anatomical garden. In this way, the spirit of a wild garden and plant
morphology is transmuted simultaneously through dynamic swathes of colour
across the body, translating their natural ethereal sensuality into seductive
yet sculptural silhouettes and sheer satin gowns.
From Left to Right: Double-exposure photograph of a chrysanthemum from Columbia Road Flower Market, edited lightly on Adobe Photoshop for vividity. Centre: Mirrored photograph of cockscombs and pincushions, re-coloured and fed into Midjourney (a generative AI program) as a prompt to guide the outcome with a more controlled look and symmetricality. The resultant print (pictured on Right) was two AI-generated outcomes with components layered together using Photoshop, which was then printed onto velvet and organza to create a multi-layered, optical illusion as the model was walking.
Wearable and Experimental Clothes for a Vivid, Eventful Lifestyle
The collection is
overall intended to complement the needs of a maximalist, contemporary
lifestyle – wearable and highly elegant yet theatrically sumptuous in colour
and proportion when required for an evening soirée – for a woman who is defiant
in the face of adversity. Modular, versatile separates facilitate dressing up
or down no matter the occasion, and the sensuality of the female waist is the
focus of attention, accentuated through sculpting, clean tailoring with a touch
of dramatic malevolence seen in flared trousers and explosive pleating. Coat
collars as seen in the Cephalus Suit and the blooming flowerbud sleeves paired with the Anthocyane Evening Dress are cut boldly for
maximal impact and a confident air, while neoprene and layers of organza stacked on top of one another add textural complexity and modernity. Dresses drip with
dew-like, precision-cut crystal embroidery and nacre pearl beads sponsored by
Preciosa, echoing the freshness of morning dew on velveteen petals. Styled with
otherworldly headpieces to conceal one’s identity, the looks become intriguing
explorations of unabashed femininity.
Intentions and Sustainability
Like weeds that
slowly corrupt a flourishing Garden of Eden, our Earth perishes under the
disease of excessive, thoughtless human consumption. Our Bodies Are Gardens is
Cherie’s statement about the nature of today’s industry where artisanal
craftsmanship has been lost in preference for quick fix clothing, and an appeal
to encourage change towards circular, sustainable consumer behaviours. She
introduces this into her work through engineered digital prints to reduce
fabric usage and dye, printed on recycled and carefully selected deadstock fabrics in
accordance with UN Goal 12. Each piece is made and finished by hand, never
compromising on aesthetic vision and quality. Ultimately, Cherie hopes to
bring joy to her clients through pieces that serve as serious conversation
starters and cherished, expressive heirlooms that make women feel elegant,
alive, and strong in their femininity.
~ Cherie Chun, June 2024.
~ Cherie Chun, June 2024.
Backstage Photos:
CLO3D DIGITALLY RENDERED LOOKS
LOOK 4
The Cephalus Suit and Headpiece
rendered on CLO3D and worn by Hana June 2024
The Cephalus Suit and Headpiece
rendered on CLO3D and worn by Hana June 2024
One of the many reasons why I find CLO3D so appealing is the ability to test and change an outfit without extra cost to understand how a garment could behave in real life, before fully committing to making it. As a student this was a fantastic way of mocking up ideas which I was not sure of, so I could eliminate them in the design process. In the same vein, here is Look 4 but with the prints of the suit rendered in fur instead of velvet to show alternate possibilities.
LOOK 5
The Anthocyane Evening Dress and Puffed Sleeves
rendered on CLO3D and worn by Zephyra June 2024
The Anthocyane Evening Dress and Puffed Sleeves
rendered on CLO3D and worn by Zephyra June 2024
LOOK 5
Headpiece Development on CLO3D
Headpiece Development on CLO3D