Louise Boase

DISSECT

Uniforms are weird. It’s a bizarre amount of influence a bunch of fabric can have. The collection is a visual dissection of uniform, including business-wear but particularly social uniform. Which are the clothes we buy to “fit in”, but what “fits in” is constantly changing. It’s unsustainable. The consumers motivation to purchase this way often comes from a place of anxiety and lack of confidence in individual self. So how do we shift the consumer out of this uniform-purchasing-loop and into a sustainable direction? I’ve explored this idea through using narrative design and modularity, within an 80% recycled collection with zero-waste pieces.   

As a child, the centipede was one of the few bugs I wouldn’t dare pick up; instead, I admired its beauty from a far, in fear of being stung. The collection uses centipede imagery to transfer that same “don’t f*ck with me” confidence to the wearer. Additionally, it’s used to disrupt and dissect the business-wear forms, bringing in an informal aesthetic, which narrates a confident rejection of uniform/conformity.   

As for the collection's modularity, it was used to create on-trend designs that can then adapt into multiple forms, including more neutralised staple pieces.