No Ordinary Patchwork-an exploartion of the possibilities of collage in fashion design

Abstract

In this thesis I take a personal stance on collage art, closely examining the theme and find what, according to me, are the most interesting aspects, and how I can use them in my process and my design. Where exactly does the attractiveness of collage lie and how can I benefit from these findings in fashion design? What are the possibilities of collage in fashion design, in theoretical, practical and visual terms?

This thesis aims to explain how the discovered theoretical and visual epitomes of collage art can be used, in both the written contemplation and the collection of clothes. The aim is not to improve or to solve, but to map the explorations of a theme with an open mind, and to document the turns and twists in the road, both the fruitful and the less flattering. Yet this thesis is not only an exploration of collage and its inspirational dimensions, it is also, as have I come substantially to realize, an exploration of how to explore.

The productional part, an experimental, artistic mini-collection of garments made in collaboration with a fellow MA student of fashion design Eeva Rönkä, works as a platform for trying out ideas arising from the research on collage art and then visually illustrating them through turning the findings into elements in the clothing collection. The collection of clothes is not a coherent work of ready-made thoughts but functions as an arena for experimentation and for asking questions.