My Project is titled Moving Fixations, where investigated the ongoing obsessive patterns that overthinking has, and its relationship with our minds’ and our bodies. I wanted to create a garment which both served the purpose of capturing the image of overthinking as well as providing comfort to the wearer in those difficult times. The soft knitwear patches are very tactile, allowing the wearer to fidget with the threads as well as knit into them when needing a distraction. Knitting is something I do a lot with my time, especially when feeling anxious, so in a way this garment is a reflection of my relationship with my thoughts and I how I sometimes allow them to claim control of me. Moreover, the knitted dress is accompanied by a balaclava which allows for the person wearing it to be fully able to close off from their surroundings, every inch of the body is covered. Another reason why I choose knitting as my medium is due to the ongoing growth it has. The constant multiplication of the stitches illustrates the obsessive patterns that form when consumed with an idea or a thought in your mind that keeps growing and multiplying.
During my research into fidgeting, I wanted to create a garment that fitted to everyone’s’ fidgeting needs, including the colour ways. A key turning point in my research was that bright and vivid colours were not effective as it removed a large demographic; people suffering from autism who struggle finding fidget toys of a soft colour tone. This is why I choose the cool muted colours all throughout the design, and it fits my intention of comforting the wearer through the calming palette.
These are some examples of the experimentation I did with knitting and creating bioplastic material as well as some draping ideas.