WELLNESS WEARING

For my thesis collection, I have attempted to create a fashion line that brings to life the concept of ‘wellness wearing’. Looking at traditional healing practices rooted in my Indian heritage, I hope to design clothes that have the power to calm, balance and center, immersing one’s senses in unexpected ways. In a generation overwhelmed by chaos, turmoil and disruption, there is now, more than ever a need for a contemplative and meditative state of mind. Our ancestors lead their lives with sense a of simplicity, clarity and modesty- prioritizing personal wellbeing over material success. While technological and scientific advancements have revolutionized the way we live today, it is this very same science that has proven that prioritizing a healthy body and mind leads to optimum levels of functioning and ultimate happiness. 

 

One such inter-generational knowledge pocket that I consequently researched was the ‘Chakras’, which refers to the seven energy centers or disks that run along the spine of one’s body, each one corresponding to specific nerve bundles of major organs. To perform at one’s emotional and physical best, these chakras must stay open and balanced. While there is a myriad of manners in which chakras can be unblocked whether through yoga mudras, stones or tapping, sound healing is one of the most unique and focused ways. Therefore, I have used sound as the central thought in my collection, integrating meditative sound producing mechanisms into the materiality of my garments with the hope that my fashion collection can physically channel positive energy and help balance the energy centers in the body.

 

Heavily delving into prototyping with metals like copper, brass, sterling silver and aluminum as well as precious stones, I soon realized that dome like shapes created deeper resonant sounds, while lighter shapes and tube-like structures fabricated softer and airier wind-chime like frequencies. Harmonizing the tranquility of these sounds into my visual aesthetic, each garment has a sense of rhythm, flow and a meditative repetitiveness, induced through strategic techniques like pleating around focal points of radiating energy. Rounded shapes continually make appearances in the collection visually inducing an element of shared circularity, while earthy colors and natural dyes contrasting with lustrous metals give the garments an organic and rustic sensibility.