A Soirée of Architecture, Design, and Fashion
Elsy Studios was thrilled to step back into the fashion spotlight for the 2024 IIDA Rocky Mountain Chapter’s Prêt-à-Porter, a highly anticipated event that only graces us every other year.
Elsy Studios and Haworth commercial furniture dealer partnered together to create a masterpiece inspired by Boulder, CO architecture. The team drew Inspiration from (4) Boulder buildings: The Volsky Residence, Mesa Laboratory, the CU Boulder Campus, and Swoon Art House.
The products chosen for our garment are all commercial furniture elements.
The bodice is created with a tightly knitted mesh, traditionally used as a semi-transparent chair back.
The rigid yet pliable webbing over the bodice comes from a task chair’s exoskeleton. Two chair backs were de constructed, strategically cut down, melded together, and heat formed to fit the contours of the model’s torso. This material is also highlighted in a layer of the skirt.
The outer layer of the flowy skirt is constructed of two materials: A vinyl wall-covering traditionally used on furniture system walls for a durable surface and a knitted mesh traditionally used as a chair back.
The middle layer is a mesh fabric typically used as a privacy curtain to create softness and separation in office settings.
Each material selected has a different feel and transparency. The forms, colors, and application on the garment pull from the 4 different Boulder buildings we drew inspiration from.
Elsy always approached projects with maximum effort and intentionality; Pret is no exception. A huge shout out to Elsy’s very own Carmen and Sam, and the Haworth team for all the hard work after hours to get this beautiful dress finished.
The overall earthy color palette of the dress is a culmination of colors taken directly from each of the Boulder buildings. Interior design and architecture melded with fashion as the teams’ thorough understanding of color theory and contrast drove some of the design decisions, like allowing the orange and blue to be the star against the white exterior.
New this year, IIDA allowed cross-company collaboration for Pret-a-Porter teams. Huge shout out to our team: Sam Ward as Team Captain and Carmen Mielke, Elsy Studios; Lauren Smith, CO Dept. of Public Health; Alex Kirby, Waring; Saul Vargas, Haworth and our Model Sam Hill, Merchants & CO.
Team Captain Sam Ward & Model Sam Hill Prêt-à-Porter Team
Interested in learning more about our approach to design? Contact us to see how we can bring your vision to life.