30 Years of Love
30 Years of Love is a heritage collection about my family history in Cuba before Castro. Hearing stories and the nostalgia that comes with my family's past of being torn from their home inspired this collection. Drawing inspiration from various facets of my past, from elegant architecture, intricate patterns, and fashion, this collection will showcase that beautiful things can come from our past, emphasizing treasured memories that can only be remembered through the faces and photos of what was once called home...
Skills Used
Hand Illustrating
Historical Research
Draping
Patternmaking
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
CLO Patternmaking
Presentation
Trend Research
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The Beginning...
THE BEGINNING...
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This past summer, 2023, I embarked on a creative journey that allowed me to explore my family's history in Cuba deeply. This unique endeavor enriched my understanding of my roots and helped me channel this newfound knowledge into a senior fashion collection that celebrated and brought to life my family's past.
RESEARCH
My journey began by researching the beginning of Cuba, watching documentaries, and looking up historical imagery to understand how Cuba transitioned from then to today. Further, I explored fashion trends from the 20s through the 50s, looking into silhouettes, colors, and manipulations. With the knowledge of what I learned about Cuba's history, I rummage through piles of historical imagery. Photo archives date back to the early 1900s, and further on, I considered who, what, where, why, and how with my family and combined those aspects into my silhouettes and designs.
FALL 2023
After summer, the senior year began. I continued extensive research, uncovering photographs, stories, and designs. Utilizing Photoshop, I created numerous patterns and collages. With this, I printed out designs on different fabrics to achieve a successful print for the collection. Working with multiple manipulations has led me to an inspiring project...
“30 Years of Love” is a womenswear collection set for Summer 2024, the garments showcase an array of muted creams, browns, and greens from the past, to Cuba’s vibrant reds, blues and yellows, that people know it for. There will be graphic prints and handmade lace portraits (provided by Solstiss Lace 2024 Sponsorship).
SKETCHES
ILLUSTRATION GALLERY
FINAL LINEUP
Solstiss Lace Sponsorship 2024
One of the most rewarding aspects of my research is my Solstiss Lace Sponsorship, 2024. Incorporating elements from my family's history into contemporary fashion, I wanted to play with the idea of lace since memories are webbed. Gathering archive photos, I dyed lace using the same tones in the pictures and created portraits of my family and Cuba's architecture. I then submitted this to the Solstiss Lace competition and was one of the few recipients to win access to Solstiss' Haute Couture lace and a fantastic team.
