The 'Within' collection by Violet Zhou—a graduate from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)—explores different states of mind. Described as "ethereal," the silhouettes of the garments draw on the designer's personal experiences and "emotional turbulences." By giving materiality to her feelings, Zhou is able to transcend them in a certain sense.
Since many of the pieces are connected to feelings of anger, numbness, heaviness, and so on, their aesthetic mimics a sense of "confinement." As a result, the silhouettes "seal their wearer inside the garment with an outer layer of fabric." Eventually, as the collection explores different states of being, the final manifestation is one of "'emerging' from the turmoil into a lighter state of mind, where the wearer physically breaks free from the material casing."
Mental State-Translating Fashion Collections
Violet Zhou Explores Different States of Mind
Trend Themes
1. Mental State-translating Fashion - Opportunity for designers to explore translating emotions and mental states into wearable form, resulting in a deeper emotional connection between the garment and the wearer.
2. Materiality of Emotions - Opportunity for material science and clothing technology to innovate fabric composition to create textures and forms that can reflect complex emotional states and offer therapeutic benefits.
3. Fashion as Expression of Inner States - Opportunity for using fashion as a way of expressing one's inner emotional states and communicating them more effectively than through words alone.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion and Apparel - Fashion designers can integrate wearable technology, new materials, and textile innovation to create clothes that reflect and respond to the wearer's emotional state.
2. Health and Wellness - Wellness and therapeutic brands can explore the use of fashion and clothing to support mental health and well-being by offering garments that help regulate emotions and reduce stress.
3. Technology and Material Science - Opportunity for material scientists, data analysts, and fashion-tech companies to collaborate on developing groundbreaking clothing materials that can respond to and convey human emotions.