Softness, comfort, relief, therapy, mental health, self-care, warmth, coziness, interactivity, stimulation, connectivity, people, joy, sadness, resilience, movement, stress, touch, bed, swaddling, covers, mattress, feeling. These are the ideas that feed into the philosophy behind the collection, Sensation, Texture, and Emotion. The collection began as a reaction to the current mental health epidemic and to the sense stress felt by the artist’s generation, as she noted a trend toward depression and unhappiness whether rooting from today’s polarizing political climate, environmental instabilities, or the general sense of doom that lurks from a fear of the unknown.

The collection incorporates garments, textiles, and an interactive environment that transports people to a state of comfort, relief, and protection. Inspired by multi-sensory therapy and tactile-relief therapy, the collection delves into the innate human need for tactile sensation and play, offering soft and high-pile textures to interact with created from secondhand materials. Through innovative material techniques based in craft techniques typically used for rug-making and quilting, the pieces evoke a sense of therapeutic discovery, softness, and protection.

The collection acts as a catalyst for creating a conversation about the power of textiles and interactivity, asking how we can reframe and rethink new approaches to fighting stress and mental health problems. The dreamlike world invites the viewer to become part of the environment and to feel and create their own sense of relief through interacting with the pieces and stimulating their emotional and physical senses.

 

 

Models: Allegra Preuss & Paul Morand

Garments by Sydney Loew