Our initial visual inspiration came from the Merry-go-round concept. All members of the group appreciated the complexity and detail of the Merry-go-round, and we decided to implement the design into a fashion garment. On Pinterest, we browsed through and created a collection of images that we could possibly reference in coming up with specific patterns and shapes of the clothing.
We particularly gave attention to the circular structure of the Merry-go-round, and took note of how it resembled the bottom half of a dress/skirt. Particular materials we considered are: wood panel (for the antique festival vibe) and acrylic sheets (the transparency would enhance the patterns engraved on through laser). Fabric was eliminated upon concluding that we should prioritize maintaining the structure of the dress (no draping effect desired).
During class, our team began to ideate the compartments of the dress on paper. Upon testing with real scale with a ruler, we compromised on the measurements as well as the number of each compartment of the dress needed and planned a rough layout of the garment.
The patterns that we decided to implement into the design were referenced through online free license sources. After taking screenshots of black and white images/icons, we expanded the image and converted the icons into vectors so that the file would process through the laser cutter. We played with the size and orientation of icons to give variation to the garment. We decided to cut out traces of horses (unicorns) and put as elements that add onto the overall Merry-go-round theme of the project.
In the initial run of the laser cutter, the team and I recognized the cuts were not fully made through the acrylic material, and the material was burning due to the reason. We received assistance and learned that we might have possibly set the power mode a little too low, and this setting did not accommodate to the specific type of material that we were using. In order to fix the issue, we halted the machine and let it run through a second time over again.
The laser cut files were taken out of the machine. We lost a couple of parts due to the small cut-outs falling through down the holes of the laser cutter. One thing we’ve noticed was that the file was cut in a size much smaller than expected. We reflected that we created the file on a separate computer (A4 template), and while transferring the file to the PC responsible for laser cutting, we forgot to transform the size of the file according to the laser cutter. However, as we were satisfied with the detail of the cut, as well as the engravings, we decided to alter our plan into making a slightly different fashion garment and save material.
My group and I started attaching the acrylic compartments to the mid-body of the mannequin. This is because we hoped to center our piece there and create a sturdy structure around it. We used hot glue gun as the main method of attaching compartments as it resembled the color of the acrylic and it was fast-hardening. Though using the hot glue gun posed some difficulty, such as creating unnecessary mess and dirty edges, we attempted to overcome this as much as possible by covering ugly components with the laser cut icon designs for better aesthetic presentation.
Initially, we were planning on making a one-piece dress, but we soon realized that we have the freedom to play with the placement of the acrylics to our liking. We attempted to place the clover icon near the chest and realized it gave a look of high-fashion and concept fashion, and decided to go with the aesthetic change. The placement of the acrylic pieces were thoroughly considered, as we printed out three different types of the icon: patterned, clear, and clear outline. We created a pattern by mixing the use of these three types.
This is the final look of our design. We are especially satisfied with the choice of material, as the transparent look of the acrylic sheet gives a futuristic and modern vibe to the fashion garment. We are also proud of the fact that we were able to play with different modes of laser cutting (etching, engraving, cutting) to create a variation in the icons and make visual depths through the clovers. We also added an element of humor and personal touch, by gluing on horses at different segments of the garment (we considered these as the easter egg concept, because we were never able to fully push through with the Merry-go-round ideation).