Senior Designers:
Britney Lankford, Shannon Smith, Lindsay Wallace, Stefvin Spencer, and Cleo Cobbs.
Student Designers
Caroline Chiohh
Ashley Clark
Dave Heikkinen
Janell Herron
Brooke Huber
Brittany Lockhart
Tracey McManus
Stacey Ruff and Ericka Wilson
Y Collective:
Y Collective is the design incubator located within the Apparel, Textiles and Merchandising Program at Eastern Michigan University. We work collaboratively to explore iterations in garments based upon thematic principles. This year, 2009 we explore: COLLAPSE. Our interpretation of the concept of collapse encompasses a dynamic cyclical series of states that transforms progressively.The Garments:
The Pod -- Amanda Cinco, Natalie Rae Reynolds, Celeste Malvar-Stewart
Helmets, Hoods & Shrouds enable a body to embark on previously unavailable environments by acting as a material sheath of protection.An Explosion of Pleats -- Jacqueline Floyd
My inspiration was drawn from the ruff collar that was worn by women in the 16th and 17th century.Tunic2 -- Celeste Malvar-Stewart, Amanda Cinco, Natalie Rae Reynolds
A vision of how a garment can collapse around the body on many levels – from fibres collapsing into one another to parts of the garment collapsing away from itself.Balloon Dress -- Natalie Rae Reynolds, Celeste Malvar-Stewart, Amanda Cinco
The ability of the dress to expand and fall was inspired by our concept of collapse. The aesthetic design of the dress is reminiscent of the wide-hipped, embellished dresses worn by Marie Antoinette.
Sheath -- Cathryn Amidei, Erika Distel
The quality of energy stored and released is explored in this gown. 2 layers of fabric are laminated by stitching- when one layer is shrunk the other matrix must collapse in turn. This compression gives energy to the fabric.
Newsprint -- Melissa Thullen
The decision to construct a suit from newsprint was both an exercise in exploring the collapsible properties of an unconventional material and an attempt to address current cultural concerns related to the concept of collapse.Weaved -- Erika Distel, Cathryn Amidei
This little ensemble demonstrates the effect caused by energy stored in the yarns used to weave the fabric. The dimensional effect is due to the contrasting active and passive yarns and the weave structures – the collapsing surface allowed us to shape the garment as we wove it.