The Other's Costume

"My graduate project, 'The Other's Costume' is focusing on the innovative use of upcycling techniques in design and development of a costume, as well as being a research into the history of Otherness in global culture. Another aspect of the research was the possibility of developing costume as an independent object of artistic expression, due to somewhat lower esteem that is often attributed to design departments' graduation works on art academies in comparison to 'fine arts' departments. Strong focus on ecology and struggle for a minimal carbon footprint of my project is the result of both my personal beliefs and the task that my professor had been giving me throughout my studies on the department. Restricting to using only reclaimed/upcycled materials, though may seem to be limiting, for me was a challenge that sparked my creativity. I was well prepared by said tasks that each academic year encouraged us to seek innovative ways to use discarded objects, create our own materials, and even recycle each other's previous works. At one point in the written part of my diploma, I recall a similar phenomenon of 1940s fashion, mainly British, facing material restrictions that sparked some of the most innovative clothing creations. My hope which pushed me to develop my project this way is that facing today's climate crisis we may, as costume designers, self-restrict our material usage without compromising our creativity. The topic of Otherness was picked due to alarming tensions arising in my region at the moment. Xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, and a general disdain for the Other is rearing it's ugly head once more. As an artist/designer I felt obliged to use my graduation to speak out against these tendencies and make a clear statement of appreciation of the Otherness. Each costume is representative of one of the faces of the Other, historical or contemporary.

We have here the Transvestite, Geisha, and the Courtesan, amongst others. Each character is at once a design object, work of art, and a small sociohistorical essay"