Encoded Cloth Project

Our Concept: Folkloric Cuban-Inspired Two-Piece Garment/Dress

Inspo:

The inspiration for our project came from a “Cuba” poster in Carolina’s room.

Our Screen-printing:

We printed on 3 yards of fabric using two screens; one for the blue and one for the red flags. We  chose to be creative with the negative space in the flags and how we positioned color so that we did not have the classic “Cuban” and “Puerto Rican” flags. The focus was not on the concept of the flag but the cultural overlap between Puerto Ricans and Cubans. Neither version of the “flag” printed resembles how the Puerto Rican and Cuban Flags actually are, which is one key aspect to our encoded cloth project. Furthermore, this print becomes a part of the skirt in the form of ruffles.

Process:

When going shopping to get fabric, we chose to go traditional with white because many of the folkloric dresses in both Puerto Rico and Cuba are white. Since we were doing a modern take to tradition, we went with white satin for the full look and a shimmery red fabric for our sash. About 14 yards of fabric went into the construction of the dress to make sure the skirt was long and full. The yellow thread became a special detail, bringing in another primary color on the dress. Yellow is also very symbolic of friendship, which is another meaning that is special to us. Similarly, we wanted color but for it to be toned down, the opposite of what we usually do in our art. We really wanted to push our abilities to create a stunning piece using the encoded aspects more than using color as our major factor.

Female Figures:

The other key aspect that went into our encoded cloth project was body positivity. We both felt as though we struggled with this during our lives and how beauty standards in America focus on a slim figure. Therefore, female figures were embroidered into the bodice to accentuate female beauty and sexuality. Further embroidery and applique on the sash carried into this theme, with the flowers embodying both female and male genitalia. The choice of where these details went and why they are in white thread play along into the delicacy of the dress and the topic that we are alluding to.

Final Product:

As a whole, we feel as though we successfully created a garment that merged our cultural backgrounds and experiences  as well as friendship.  We got to use many techniques such as screenprinting, patterning, sewing, embroidery, and applique. We also had to coordinate our time because we needed to learn to work together about the details. We wanted to make a cohesive piece that blended our strengths and told the same story. Our goal was to create a piece that was wearable (it is) but we decided to present it on the mannequin as to be able to both be a part of the discussion of it. We do know that the meaning can be  different if it were presented on the body, but both discussions would have been meaningful.  In the future, this piece will be worn by Elise for SPIRIT Fashion Show.  Due to time constraints, Carolina did not get to embroider more flowers on the bust to tie in the whole theme, but with more time, more flowers and figures will be added.