2023 Student Design Contest

For my entry, Butterflies, I wanted to create a fun, youthful, and feminine look with mass market appeal. The look is inspired by nature, as well as nostalgia for my childhood as a kid of the Y2K era. Even the color palette of pink and black is inspired by the clothes I used to wear in the ’00s. I chose an athleisure ensemble for multiple reasons: comfort, ease of getting dressed, style and versatility.

Since this contest’s theme is Modern Adaptive Marketable Design, I felt that by definition, comfort and ease of getting dressed were the absolute top priorities. What good is a garment if it’s too difficult to put on or uncomfortable to wear? My model Lauren also requested the use of stretch knits, elastics and zippers, so I listened to her advice.

Of course, the next highest priorities for me when designing this ensemble were style and versatility. Intimates-inspired fashion, athleisure and Y2K revival are all in style now, so I felt this was the perfect way to seamlessly blend all of those trends together. I really like how athleisure (especially post-2020) is a genre of apparel that works for nearly any occasion, and I wanted the look to be a wearable all-day look for everything from brunch in the morning to clubbing late at night.

Since sewing this type of clothing was brand-new territory for me, I did much of my research by reading books on clothing construction methods for people with disabilities. The books I read provided a lot of eye-opening and indispensable information that helped me figure out how to create clothing that would fit the needs of wheelchair users.

For the hoodie, I created a basic cropped hoodie with a knit material I dyed black and a magnetic closure shaped like a butterfly. Magnets are a common closure in this type of design due to their ease of use and ability to stay in place. I chose wide, short sleeves as well so that it would be easy for the wearer to get dressed.

For the top, I chose to make a longline bralette inspired by corsetry. I used another knit material that I dyed pink, and I added a faux corset look with Shindo Ribbons. In the back is a zipper with a long ribbon loop and butterfly charm on the pull, to make it easier for disabled people to get dressed.

The jogger pants were the most interesting and challenging part of the look for me to create. I used another knit I also dyed pink, and black rib knit for the waistband and cuffs. I chose to add separating zippers on the outer leg seams to make the pants as easy as possible for wheelchair users to wear. The zippers are hidden behind a placket with a rigid butterfly embroidery lace I made myself with an embroidery machine, since I had a lot of difficulty finding lace that fit my vision. I also adjusted the waistband pattern to better suit the needs of wheelchair users.