2022 Prêt-à-Porter Recap
IIDA Rocky Mountain Chapter’s Prêt-à-Porter is the ultimate convergence of architecture, design, and fashion. This year, the Elsy team had the opportunity to participate in partnership with Haworth and Pear Workplace Solutions on the design and creation of a ready-to-wear garment inspired by BIPOC/LGBTQIA+ creators. We’re proud to announce that our finished product was named “Most Wearable” on the runway!
Our team was paired with musician Brittany Howard and created an androgynous bold suit, drawing on inspiration from her music, her bold sense of style, and her connection to sound as a person living with a partial visual impairment.
The piece was carefully constructed with three different materials commonly found in corporate office spaces. The jacket was constructed using 20 digitally knit chair backs and accented with custom-cut laminate strips that are usually used to create durable desk surfaces. The tailored pants were constructed using commercial grade upholstery while the translucent undershirt was made of a mesh fabric which, in an office setting, is used as a privacy curtain to create softness and separation.
We highlighted Brittany Howard’s musical talent by taking the soundwave profile from the song ‘Sound and Color’ by Alabama Shakes, scaling it exactly to our model, precisely cutting it out of laminate, and sewing it into the lining of the jacket. The integration of her lyrics on the back of the laminate enhanced our concept of powerful lyrics coming from her heart and cascading down to the feet, sending the power of rhythm and dance to her fans.
Just like our process to envision beautiful, functional spaces that are authentic to our clients, our design took a similar approach, from concept to the visualization and production of each element. We had to measure, calculate, and dissect an out-of-the-box clothing pattern to create a truly custom and unique garment. This outfit pushed our creativity, amateur sewing skills and truly defined sound in color.
A special thank you to Elsy’s co-captains, Carmen and Sam, and other core team members, Natalie, Joe, Lekan, and Bethany, for this unforgettable experience and a winning design! What a true testament to what happens when our team puts their heads together and challenges themselves.
