Projects

A young woman passionate about 70s fashion and dance aesthetics finds herself celebrating her birthday alone in quarantine in her apartment in Milan. She decides to organize a themed party inspired by the light, colors and atmosphere of studio 54. An evening of dance music, extravagant looks, candles blown in solitude and lots of champagne.

KAY WILL INTRODUCE HERSELF

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"I am Kushagra. My drag name is Kamakhya, but for simplicity you can call me Kay. I study fashion styling and Id like to become a model. I'm a genderqueer non binary person. As a non binary person you don't fit in male or female standards. Picking a side is not a solution, getting acceptance is. Not fitting in any of the gender social boxes affects your life so much more than what can br imagined. There are divisions in everything: clothes, roles, actions, expectations, behaviors ecc. In fashion and show business industry the division are even more. Fashion is not inclusive, everything is superficial and it's hard to fit in. I have been trying to fit in, to pick a side, and it has traumatised me and still affects me on a daily basis, in my daily choices: if I dress more feminine, I feel like I'm super feminine, if I dress masculine I feel like I'm unconsciously starting to act more masculine. Because my head has been fed that you have to be completely one or the other, otherwise people won't like me. And it's a never ending hoop. Furthermore, as an indian, in our society the beauty standards are very eurocentric and when you don't fit in, you don't feel beautiful. I faced the same problem when I moved here 6 months ago, I was taught what is beauty. When I saw all these people around me who look like this sort of definition of beauty, I felt intimidated and, when I looked at myself, I didn't look like that type and I started to feel myself not comfortable with who I was. I felt I was not beautiful, which is not true. We are all beautiful in our own ways. We don't have to follow a standard to feel beautiful. 'The beauty is in us. And we don't have to fit in. 'That is want I want to convey. And I'm trying"

This is a personal project based on a Simona Giardullo's idea. She's a photographer from Salerno whom I had the pleasure of meeting and collaborating with. The common desire was to reconnect people to the calmness of nature and the well-being that comes from the closeness of animals, in this case the wonderful horses of the "Mimosa Horse Rance" riding school in Monza. Thanks to their kindness, friendliness and help provided throughout the course of the shoot, we created the different parts of the project by associating each location with a different look.

This is the project designed for the internship with the Archiproduts design showroom in Milan for the new 2021 interior design collection. The concept focuses on creating a story based on the selected location. The selected area is a living room with carpets, armchairs and sofa. Based on the style of furniture and the elements in the location, the mood I referred to is the feeling of boredom. The model interprets through attitude and styling (Gucci inspired) a bored rich girl, returning after yet another outing to pass the time. As soon as she re-enters the house, she drops onto the sofa, then moves to the armchair and drags herself to the floor, interacting with the props of the location. Among the posing inspirations is definitely Marni's FW 15/16 women's collection campaign, created by Anglo-American artist Jackie Nickerson. Further enhancing the message is the still life, which in addition to focusing on the accessories used to complete the looks, depicts the entertainment items used by the girl. The character is deliberately inspired by that of Margot Tenenbaum, one of the main characters in the film "The Tenenbaum," directed by Wes Anderson (2001).

Anti-fashion and alternative femininities: stereotypes of gender and the female figure

CONCEPT THEME: Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls

For the concept of the work, I was inspired in part by the book "Alternative Femininities" by Samantha Holland, which provided so much food for thought. It is based on the concept of the construction of new femininities, which are also often not recognized as such. The concept of femininity sometimes tends to be exaggerated and limited to rigid codes, not only aesthetic, but also behavioral and character codes, to be adhered to in order to be considered as such. This creates expectations of certain abilities and characteristics that are considered exclusively feminine, which as long as they are seen as such will never really allow women to be considered exactly equal to men in many areas. Although this is a very timely topic there is still a long way to go and an ideological gap to overcome. Approaching these concepts is the female protagonist of the 2018 film "Lady Bird," by director Greta Gerwing. 

The presentation of the design part of a fashion show created entirely by us took place between rehearsals for the end of the fashion styling course of study. Starting from a concept of our choice based on previously proposed themes, the design encompasses all the steps and elements necessary for the creation of a fashion show: choice of the BRAND and presentation of the selected DESIGNER, the BRAND IDENTITY (history/style, target audience, mission and competitors), writing of the PRESS RELEASE, selection of the LOCATION & LIGHT, description of the SET DESIGN, choice of the SOUND DESIGN, description of the COREOGRAPHY in the different PHASES of the fashion show, COLOR & MATERIAL CARD, design of the INVITE, selection and description of the MEN/WOMEN TYPE, the CASTING selection and the choice of the MAKE-UP/HAIR.

The 'inspirational Designer is RICK OWENS.

We are in a post-apocalyptic world. A new population is recreating itself. There is nothing left on the planet except a small part of the population that must survive in a hostile environment dominated by the elements of fire, air and earth. Humans are covered only by deconstructed and partly burned remnants of clothing.

WORKSHOP: Presentation on one of the trends of choice in contemporary fashion.

Thus, among the various trends spotted for these warmer seasons are handmade crocheted garments. It is a slow and sustainable fashion that makes use of natural and reclaimed yarns that result in unique handcrafted pieces in affinity with the conscious approach that is gaining more and more space in our purchases and wardrobes.
Crocheted dresses, sweaters, cardigans, tops and crop-tops, shorts, swimsuits, bags, hats: each piece becomes trendier thanks to the color combination of current palettes and sexy thanks to the patterns, cuts and inevitable transparencies of the fabric that is also worn like a second skin. So we can say bye bye to grandma and consider crochet as an absolutely current style. Etro, Missoni, Giambattista Valli, Emilio Pucci, Stella McCartney, Altuzarra, Valentino, Fendi, D&G, Ulla Johnson, Maje and other luxury brands are proving it to us.
Green light to pastel colors such as pink, lilac, green and yellow and the brighter colors typical of the palettes of the 1960s and 1970s. Among the most decorative subjects are definitely flowers.

The significance of colors and patterns of clothing in Europe in the medieval age
CONCEPT THEME: Reducing Inequality.

Suntuary laws are legislative devices designed to limit consumption related to the ostentation of luxury, particularly in men's and women's fashion, or to regulate the clothing of certain social groups by forcing them to wear distinctive signs.
Starting in the early Middle Ages, colors and certain patterns took on a symbolic value.
In the project, I reworked the concept of reducing inequality and set up the looks by elevating the style and type of fabrics with regard to the color yellow and gold and scaling down the connotation and significance of red by associating it with the pattern of stripes.

The project carried out by research and methodology is based on the design creation of an 'editorial based on the concept from the passage "Tale of a Poet" by Italo Calvino. The story is narrated by a fisherman who through his eyes in love describes the beloved woman as an almost mythological aquatic creature in a marine location: a secret cave discovered almost by chance during a vacation in one of the most beautiful island archipelagos of Italy.