From 2016-2018 I took visual art as part of the international baccalaureate. After seeing the Paper Dialogues exhibition I became inspired by Karen Vejle’s art. At the exhibition Karen Vejle displayed her seven eggs of which three represented the past, one represented the present and three represented the future. Karen Vejle’s linking of the past, present and future astounded me, in particular the way she was able to depict her vision of the future . The way in which these pieces started a narrative about the way that we used to direct our lives and how that affected our future resonated with me and from there stemmed the idea of creating a collection of clothing depicting how women’s clothing has changed over time.

Past design

Whilst doing research for my project  realized that there seemed to be a link between the way that women were and are seen and treated by society and the way that they would and do dress. I noticed that in the past women had to be covered up and had to go through extensive and painful methods to fit the standards of beauty. This is shown in my past design as well as my present design.

Present Design

Through my use of the tulle and mesh used for the present design you can see how although women can be covered from head to toe they are completely exposed, showing how oversexualised they are. It seems as if women are simply there for the men to do with them as they please. Something which I believe has been further emphasised through the #MeToo movement. In the hope that in the future men and women will be seen completely as equals I decided that my future design would have a more androgynous look and to also be made of stronger more durable material, in contrast to the delicate fabric used for my past design.

Future Design

My intention was to start a conversation with the viewer. I would like for anyone who sees this project to question whether they themselves have felt like their clothing has held them back or they have judged others for their clothing.