About Me
I’m Amanda Nazareth and I construct cloth into wearable architecture.
Design questions the linear thought process and allows me to innovate. I find researching and experimenting outside the box; in unchartered territory, exhilarating. I am consumed by design, it’s almost always my pre-occupant thought. I design with purpose and an emphasis; everything is deliberate and I always strive use the most sustainable approach.
Anything to do with calculation and derivatives always interested me form a younger age but the direction that these took continually appeared impalpable. In search of the most satisfactory medium to express myself, cloth transformed from ‘simply garments’ to wearable architecture. I can design, build shapes, add volume and dimension to fabric that almost always starts as a flat, inanimate object and give it purpose and character. Changing fabric intrinsically into fashion that transcends limitations has never ceased to amaze me and I always try to approach design in this regard.
INSPIRATION
Colonization impacted most of the world. India bled a great deal, I wanted to underline what it cost
Majestic cultures, rich diversities, centuries of values, traditions and heritage are all reduced to the aftermath of unwarranted colonial rule. This is true for most of the subjugated nations and this is the only lens that unfortunately the rest of the world views them through. Tired of the stereotyping and ignorant questions, I wanted create a collection that showed what we once were, what we went through and how we live today. Freedom is the right of all people and it should be valued as such.
The colours are particularly bright, at full saturation; this is rich but also leaves you with a sensation of heaviness. A mix of fabrics are in play; keeping the monotone but with various textures & weights. Embroidered, some pleated, canvas & denims juxtapose light linens & hemps while cotton is dominant. This is an ode to the textile prowess & also shows the waste that India bears as the garment manufacturer of the world. The silhouettes are dynamic with a pattern making emphasis on 3D wearable volumes
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
DETAIL
I made a print with a 1813 illustrated book that promoted and advertised colonialism to the West.
Through my research I came across a book named The European in India by Charles Doyley published in 1813. It was a collection of drawings that were meant to entice people about the prospects of life Westerners would enjoy should they choose to come to Imperial India. With a servant waiting on every whim, the book had depictions of Indians washing feet, dancing to entertain and carrying people around so that they wouldn’t have to walk. This clearly shows that during colonialism, the colonised were just seen as objects for use. I have used wires, sockets and door hinges along with heavy metals in the collection to depict that people were disposable once they were used. I have also redrawn the illustrations from the book as a textile print that I developed on sustainable hemp.
I design with purpose and an emphasis; everything is deliberate and I always strive use the most sustainable approach.
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