Fashion goes industrial

Interior and graphic design students at Cape Town’s Inscape Design College is putting on a fashion show with a twist this evening. Forget wool and cotton garments – each student will be modelling outfits made from building materials.

“The aim of the brief was to expose students to construction materials like timber, glass, metal, concrete, tiling and finishes as part of the Applied Technology course in Interior Design,” says lecturer Etienne Du Plooy. “The creation of garments allowed the students to apply their theoretical knowledge and explore the qualities of materials through practical application.”

Entitled “Second Skin”, the show will see each of the 25 students modelling their own garment inspired by anything from technology, nature and architecture to Lady Gaga and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey. The project exposed the students to the idea of the skin and the human body, and the relationship they have to the built environment, hence the title of the show.

Selections Warehouse supplied the students with an array of industrial materials to create their futuristic get-ups. According to Etienne, audience members can look forward to a woven, damp-proof membrane dress covered in timber, egg-shaped structures and a suit of metal flashing with integrated LED lighting.

The Inscape Design College Second Skin Fashion Show takes place tonight from 7.30pm. The event will be held at Wembley II, the second phase of the Wembley Square development.

More information: http://secondskinfashionshow.tumblr.com/, +27 (0)21 462-6915