For Coraza, I kept coming back to the idea of armor, and why humans have always felt the need to build protection around the body. Armor is both defensive and symbolic. It protects, but it also communicates strength, rank, and presence. Historically, it was designed to shield something vulnerable, yet it often exaggerated the body, sharpening the shoulders, narrowing the waist. I was interested in that contradiction: the body as something soft and exposed, and the armor as a constructed exterior that signals control and resilience.
I also thought about armor as an exoskeleton, something external that reinforces structure. Unlike skin, which is organic and fragile, an exoskeleton is rigid, deliberate, and engineered. What would it mean to build your own outer shell, to choose how you frame and fortify your own body?
From there, the garments developed around boning as the central element. The architecture of corsetry functions similarly to that of armor plates. It adds structure, but prohibits movement. My final design was a three piece look that consisted of a corset, jacket, and skirt. Like armor, I wanted to exaggerate the body. The jacket emphasizes the shoulders, the corset lengthens the waist, and the skirt creates an illusion of larger hips. Through boning as structure, I translated the idea of armor into a contemporary look, exploring the relationship between power, protection, and the body.
Sketchbook development for 'Coraza', from concept, to croquis, to pattern planning.
progress pictures
Final Photographs
