I recently attended the Cornell Fashion Collective Fashion Show and was reminded of my love for alternative materials and techniques in fashion. I was drawn to a long, duster style coat with a paneled bottom that looked also like Leather. After the show I approached the designer asking what the material was and she answered “It’s latex! I made my own fabric.” Of course it was! I’ve been playing around with using latex in my designs. I’ve dipped my wool dreads into latex with mixed responses. I think it’s a bit too fashion forward for some of my stores but from the looks of the NYFW and PFW Runway shows I don’t think I’m far off. Also have you seen Bjork’s new album campaign?!? I’m onto something.
So this image is what I’ve been working on. I’m creatung individual heat set shapes and then painting them with latex. It’s a similar process to how I’ve been creating the sculpted tulle skirts, see below, but has a heavier feel. Latex has many different implications depending on your aesthetic. I like the rawness and the fact that I don’t have to hem the edges, lol.
I’ll be attending an event in Philly in April and I hope to debut a look that includes this latex style. I’ll keep you posted!
