A 2019 study on consumer megatrends pointed me toward Humanisation
- a movement among individuals that pushed them to get in touch with their original, simpler selves. This may mean real-life conversations over digital ones, extending one’s care towards communities, taking care of & accepting oneself. This trend manifested itself through brands & their communications - within company work cultures, acceptance in the beauty industry, and a drive towards better mental health.
This led me to identify a Macro Trend nestled in it -
Human Connections.
Individuals are trying to develop better relationships with others - online and offline. Communication is on the rise, through conversation and social media activity. We want to feel heard, want to heal, want to connect.
Why does conversation matter to us so much?
Does being connected to our roots make us feel seen in the larger community? How can we formulate a garment that allows the user to experience this?
I employed Emotional Design & Branding to construct garments that make consumers feel heard - for they don’t buy products, they buy perceptions and feelings. The goal was to create an emotional bond with the consumer. I validated this by using theories of Socialisation, Maslow’s Theory of Self Actualisation (social needs). Small gestures from strangers - a smile, a compliment - can bring a sense of warmth. I wanted my garments to be that stranger who eventually turns into a friend.
The 90s were a period of catharsis
A massive chunk of my target audience was a child of the 90s. Modern studies prove that an epidemic of loneliness exists among millennials. What could soothe them, make them feel connected?
Nostalgia.
I used nostalgia as a tool to help reminisce sweet memories of the past - especially the dominant ones from childhood shared among masses of the Indian population.
Water Pockets
Context: Millenials and GenZs are studied to be the loneliest generation and psychologists see this as a growing epidemic. How can we formulate a garment that strikes a conversation?
A pocket with water sealed inside to remind you of that ‘poos poos’ game from our childhood. And a small reminder to continue being vulnerable to yourself.
Reflective Garments
Interactive garment sample, that subtly reflects light (and words) onto walls, ceilings and perhaps another's cheek.
Can your garment strike a conversation? Can you wear your feelings? This sweat reflects your feelings when you're close enough.
Letter Jacket
Having a letter arrive in the post has got such nostalgic feelings attached to it; so I pondered whether having that sentiment on a jacket would make it dearer to someone.
Can you wear your feelings? Can being vulnerable make you feel closer to someone?
Water Jacket
I spent days trying to figure how to seal plastic to be water tight and finally cracked it.
A fun little prototype for a Water Jacket inspired by the poos-poos water game from our childhood (swipe); industrially viable and can definitely be made with recycled plastic.
Digital Fabric
I had an idea of constructing a fabric which continuously displayed falling Tetris; one of the most nostalgic games from the 90s. It would almost be an ode to our childhood and the tech boom; to make something we've spent hours over. Since I lack in the coding department, I approached my batchmate Sneha Rao with this idea, who used all her coding brains and actually made it work! We stitched it between two pieces of cloth, and called it our first prototype of a digital fabric.
Filmed & Photographed by: Ihjaz Aziz | Edits: Namrata Iyer | Talent: Aniket Chitnawis |
Coding (Digital Fabric): Sneha Rao | Project Mentored by: Akash Das, Deepak Singh