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OUR BODIES ARE GARDENS, TO WHICH OUR WILLS ARE GARDENERS


CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS BA GRADUATE COLLECTION 2024
December 2023 - May 2024


I suffered from a series of fainting spells in 2023 before my final year of my BA Degree at Central Saint Martins , which prompted me to contemplate my life and career as a designer and artist in today's modern world. Seeing my MRI brain scans up close made me realize how much I often take for granted, and how wondrous our bodies can be - as much as we try to control and decipher it, there's still a lot we don't know about ourselves. Like falling in love with my ‘ugly baby’; other people may not appreciate the complexity of my brain, but in that moment I did.  I thought that this quote from Shakespeare's Othello, "Our Bodies are Gardens, to Which Our Wills are Gardeners", was particularly apt - speaking not only to the idea of self-discipline and control, but also to the unexpected turns of life and most of all, becoming catalyst for the idea of interpreting what plants might be metaphorically grown in my own 'Garden of Eden'. I took the shapes of my internal organs as a reference to make something beautiful out of their disturbing shapes, so that other people could appreciate their beauty through trompe l'oeil (trick of the eye) 'floral' prints. I also experimented with imaging fruit and vegetable cells under a microscope and using them as almost new-age polka dots, and feeding my photos directly into generative AI (Midjourney) for one particular look so that I could control its output in a more ethical way. Existing flowers are thus forced into into a elegant yet somewhat bizarre and uncanny representation of the natural world, in a comment on life’s transience and the intersection of technology and traditional craft. I imagined the woman wearing the garments to feel powerful, elegant, unafraid of bold colour, but most of all empowered to shine, with several elements from the collection being ready-to-wear while having several luxurious options for a special event.


All the materials I used in the collection are deadstock and upcycled through print-engineering to also minimize fabric waste, sourced locally from warehouses in Hackney, with generous sponsorship of hand-embroidered crystals from Crystals by Preciosa.

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 included the print on the right, where I combined two AI-generated outcomes together as a layered print which was then printed onto velvet and organza to create a multi-layered, optical illusion as the model was walking.
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.


                                                           

Backstage Photos:




CLO3D DIGITALLY RENDERED LOOKS

I worked to digitize Look 4 and 5 by uploading the engineered digital print graphics for each into CLO3D software and changing the properties of the fabrics and beads for each to match accordingly to the true weights of each fabric. Each bead is hand-placed and positioned to reinterpret the real looks in a digital space.

LOOK 4
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




LOOK 5
Headpiece Development on CLO3D
Tuesday Oct 5 2021