About Me
Hola! I´m Sofia Zuniga, a fashion design graduate from Mexico city.
Distorted seeks to question the Suit, –constituted by jacket and trousers, though optical distortion, to create new experimental suits, that put in question its original shape, function and construction.
It starts by researching about its meaning through history, from its origins in men´s fashion, to its evolution until now. This is contrasted with optics, light and reflections to distort through them, having deep understanding of visual perception, to make the garments even more confusing with optical illusions in its textures. With the merging of two subjects tailor suit –with its perfect and specific construction– and the reflections –instantaneous and ephemeral– an interesting and fun result was created that also provokes a questioning regarding the reality that we see.
INSPIRATION
It all started with a visit to the Hayward Gallery in London to see the Space Shifters exhibition.
In 2018 I visited the Space Shifters exhibition which gathered artists that questioned the space and the space around them working with light, reflections, transparency and optical illusions; some of them are Alicja Kwade, Monika Sosnowska and Jeppe Hein. I started modeling on a mannequin with light, and I discovered that what interested me about reflections was the way they distort the original shape. So I experimented with different surfaces and methods to distort the suits and create new silhouettes.
I found the anamorphic catoptric illusion, that works with a distorted image and a cylinder mirror from which the distorted image looks regular, using the reflection in the opposite way; I also immortalized distortions generated in my interaction with an irregular reflective surface through photography, the looks were created from this. The textile inspiration also came from the reflections as I created textures with optical illusions that go with each garment to make the distortions even more confusing.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
Reaserch moodboard and inspiration.
Look 1 The basic suit - with structured shoulders.
Look 2 Between cuts and curves.
Look 3 handmade distorted texture and bodyshirt.
Look 4 Through a mirror - catoptric anamorphosis.
Look 5 Growing to opposite sides
Handmande texture that grows with the garment.
Look 6 Up and down.
Look 6 fabric on the skirt shows more as you move.
Look 1 detail opticall illusion texture
Look 2 has an inside stucture to hold the volumes.
Look 3 transparency highlights distortion.
Look 4 shrinks on top and expands downwards.
Look 5 has inside structure to hold the silhouette
Look 6
DETAIL
To go from tailored to distorted I used volume on the silhouettes as well as prints and textures.
The distortions I had were in 2D so the challenge was to bring them to life in 3D. I considered important to create a basic suit look to know the bases of tailoring structures and then be able to use them as I created my distorted looks. The processes to create each distorted look were very different and varied from adding structures to the mannequin and modeling on top, to creating special shoulder pads to keep the irregular shapes, and adding materials like plastic and boning, it was a process of trial and error. Then the textures were added, the first basic suit has a texture that changes color, the second one has two fabrics with the same pattern in different sizing to accentuate the volumes. For the third look the fabric was pulled by hand distorting the original print making it look like it is under water. The fifth has a texture that grows with it to the sides and for the sixth look I added a different fabric that highlights the volume in the shoulder and skirt.
With Distorted I want people to question what they see and therefore question their own reality; What do you believe about what you see? How can you see or do things differently?
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