Alisa Rai

I am a student pursuing a career in Fashion Design. During my FMP, I tried to approach my project in a very experimental way, so that I could discover new techniques I found interesting, as well as develop my style of work. My work is titled Dystopian Society and is based on the concepts and aesthetics of dystopia. My goal for this project was to advance with the idea of perhaps people living in a time where you would have to wear a mask to hide your identity, and wear clothes that are futuristic, while exploring new ideas and learn from them for application. I pushed through with the idea of the final outcome coming to life and by having fun with the process (I especially enjoyed having a go  working with resin/luminescent powder). The making of the mask was the most difficult part and the outcome wasn’t as nice as I had hoped, but I was determined to learn and make it as it was part of my vision. I aspired to create something I haven’t done before and challenge myself to work with new materials.

I was inspired by many creative experts, with influences from Aerarius Metalworks, Zdzisław Beksiński, Hans Ruedi Giger, Iris Van Herpen, DZHUS, Junya Watanabe and Ying Gao. Beside creative practitioners, I was inspired by the idea of the aftermath of some sort of destruction, perhaps post-war or post-apocalyptic time. My work was formed by the idea of a futuristic society, adding elements of animalistic design, which I tried to portray thorough my mask. The mask idea was inspired by Aerarius Metalworks, with the context and design being influenced further with research. The garment was inspired by the kind of environment we might be living in in the dystopian future; dark/ no light, therefore I used glow in the dark material to represent adaptation, just like animals/sea creatures exhibit (angler fish, jellyfish, etc). Using pleating to replicate the streamline of fish/Hans Ruedi Giger’s ‘Alien’, and using tougher materials like leather for harsher conditions. I tried to incorporate many features that is dystopian, such as an armour like top, bone structure (inspired by Beksinski’s painitng, which I interpreted to show hunger/horror). I worked with several media and processes, some worked well, while some didn’t. For example, dyeing hemp with Dylon dye worked in contrast to synthetic mixed fabric. Processes like hand-stitching, pleating, cording, crocheting and many more was used. Through this project, I think I have become more familiar with fabric manipulation techniques, as I learnt and used several of them. I wanted to show the kind of designs / clothing that could be worn in a dystopian period, inspired by futurisitc/dystopian based creatives.
You can contact me at: alisadumirai@gmail.com
Instagram: _alisd.drai_