Megan Chee-A-Tow

Wouldn’t it be nice if clothing could grow with you? Not only per physical growth, but also as styles change, your interests change; as you change. Building Fashion in Children’s Wear experiments with the concept of growing clothes as childhood is the fastest stage of both physical and psychological development.

Building Fashion aims to inspire children to create their own garments using geometrical shaped pieces with slits and weaving strips to construct their own garments. The pieces and slits are created by laser cutting fabric, and the flexible weaving strips obtain their durability and duality through 3D printing onto fabric. These modular pieces are like toys, which children can play with to design their own styles. This will give children a new appreciation for their clothing with the ability to widen, lengthen or even change the style of their modular garment. By playing with a toy that incorporates both building and dress up components, Building Fashion breaks stereotypes for children of what gendered toy they are expected to play with.

Throughout my time in the Fashion Design program, not only have I learned the depths of the fashion world, I also met some really cool people who I can collaborate with as a designer. I believe my biggest asset throughout this creative program was those who supported me in any way, whether that was allowing me to bounce ideas off of them, encouraging me when I hit a road block, or who inspired me through their own processes and school of thoughts. I learned that I cannot be an evolving designer without that aspect of collaboration through creativity, and that we truly do need other ideas aside from our own to create something innovative and revolutionary. There are many things which we can learn by making connections with peers and listening to what they think, feel and imagine. My evolution of technical skills, creative thinking and pursuing design is attributed to all the people who taught me, motivated me and befriended me throughout these past four years.