Heatset Shibori

Role:
- Concept development & garment design
- Patternmaking and construction
- Heat-set shibori & surface distressing
- Experimental denim engineering (dual-waist structure)
- Styling, modeling, and creative direction
- Photography and visual documentation

This look explores duplication, transformation, and visual tension through layered construction and material manipulation. The ensemble pairs a distressed, heat-set shibori long-sleeve top with a double-layered denim pant designed to appear as two garments nested within one another. The pants feature dual waistbands and a concealed side-seam zipper that unzips to reveal the secondary pair, allowing the silhouette to shift between compressed and expanded states. The shibori top was developed through an intentional heat-setting process to create permanent texture and irregular surface distortion, then distressed to introduce contrast and wear. Together, the garments investigate how repetition, exposure, and concealment can be used as design tools—challenging traditional notions of singular form and static construction. This project was fully self-directed, encompassing garment design, patternmaking, construction, styling, modeling, and visual documentation. The final look functions as both a wearable piece and a study in layered identity, material behavior, and modular transformation.