RE-PLEAT
Fall 2021“RE-PLEAT” is an exploration of the relationship between NATURE and TECHNOLOGY through the experimentation and manipulation of fabric and design. This project focuses on the relationship of SHAPE and FORM in fabric to the BODY and MOTION. “Re-Pleat” is inspired by shapes in NATURE that are then replicated in TECHNOLOGY and ARCHITECTURE.
This project is inspired by the origins of “PLEATS” and how to reshape pleated fabric to create interesting shapes. By exploring a range of shapes, aesthetics, and juxtaposing man-made versus shapes in nature, new and innovative designs are created.
Furthermore, “Re-Pleat” draws inspiration from ISSEY MIYAKE’s “PLEATS PLEASE” 1993 collection and its book written in 2012. The designs were made from single pieces of high quality 100% POLYESTER fabric. The collection was very innovative in its process: the clothing was first cut and sewn together from fabric that is nearly three times larger than the finished item of clothing, then SANDWICHED between sheets of paper and hand fed into a pleats MACHINE This INDUSTRIAL process allows both texture and form to be created at the same time. Vertical pleating is used to create different effects and ARCHITECTURAL shapes. “Pleats Please” clothes are very FUNCTIONAL and PRACTICAL; they STORE easily, TRAVEL well, require NO IRONING, can be machine-washed, and dry within hours. The clothes’ SIMPLE beauty, comfort, LIGHTNESS, and EASE of care have changed the way many WOMEN all over the world dress. This project takes inspiration from Miyake’s process of pleating by exploring different ways of pleats and creating new shapes by changing the DIRECTION of the pleat.
Finally, “Re-Pleat” also refers to the Japanese philosophy of WABI-SABI. In traditional JAPANESE aesthetics, wabi-sabi is a world view centered on the ACCEPTANCE of transience and IMPERFECTION. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating BEAUTY that is “IMPERFECT, IMPERMANENT, and INCOMPLETE” in NATURE.
This project is inspired by the origins of “PLEATS” and how to reshape pleated fabric to create interesting shapes. By exploring a range of shapes, aesthetics, and juxtaposing man-made versus shapes in nature, new and innovative designs are created.
Furthermore, “Re-Pleat” draws inspiration from ISSEY MIYAKE’s “PLEATS PLEASE” 1993 collection and its book written in 2012. The designs were made from single pieces of high quality 100% POLYESTER fabric. The collection was very innovative in its process: the clothing was first cut and sewn together from fabric that is nearly three times larger than the finished item of clothing, then SANDWICHED between sheets of paper and hand fed into a pleats MACHINE This INDUSTRIAL process allows both texture and form to be created at the same time. Vertical pleating is used to create different effects and ARCHITECTURAL shapes. “Pleats Please” clothes are very FUNCTIONAL and PRACTICAL; they STORE easily, TRAVEL well, require NO IRONING, can be machine-washed, and dry within hours. The clothes’ SIMPLE beauty, comfort, LIGHTNESS, and EASE of care have changed the way many WOMEN all over the world dress. This project takes inspiration from Miyake’s process of pleating by exploring different ways of pleats and creating new shapes by changing the DIRECTION of the pleat.
Finally, “Re-Pleat” also refers to the Japanese philosophy of WABI-SABI. In traditional JAPANESE aesthetics, wabi-sabi is a world view centered on the ACCEPTANCE of transience and IMPERFECTION. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of appreciating BEAUTY that is “IMPERFECT, IMPERMANENT, and INCOMPLETE” in NATURE.
