Monologue

Monologue examines humanity's need to protect itself from our increasingly
oppressive external environment. The collection explores transformable garments
that allow the wearer to quickly self-isolate. Embedded within the construction of the
garments are lightweight, expandable spaces that are easy to access when privacy
& protection are desired. A dress that transforms into a sleeping bag, jackets with
built in face coverings, and tops that expand into tents are integrated into the
collection in calming monochrome fabrics. Within the expanded spaces are washes
of psychologically soothing imagery. Visible only to the wearer, printed silk images
of a calming night sky or optimistic sunrise create an accessible escape for the
wearer.
Monologue maximizes the utilitarian function of clothing by providing portable safe
spaces. Constructed using traditional tailoring techniques, each form also draws
inspiration from engineering methods used in children’s pop-up books. And
although it was not the initial impetus for this collection, Covid-19 has highlighted the
importance of self protection and distance. The turmoil we endured during
quarantine has further contextualized the significance of isolation- whether to
distance oneself from the world in order to regain stability, or to disassociate from
the past and future in order to focus on the present.