Alina Grosu

The concept for my collection comes from death, which led to research areas like religious symbols, surrealism movement, gothic current, mummification process, spirituality, mythology.

I looked at how Christian Orthodox doctrine implemented the death throe in the bible, and the existence of heaven and hell as the final judgment for human sins. Then I analysed contemporary designers who use religious elements into their collection, like Guo Pei who made a coffin dress covered in flowers in her fall 2019 couture.

Among mythology I looked at symbols like crows and moths and how different cultures see them in relation with death. Mexicans see the black moth as a death omen. Tibetans believe that crows are the messengers of death. For contemporary designers, I looked at Alexander Mc Queen’s 2009’s “A twisted fantasy”, inspired by birds, and 2010’s collection inspired by moths. Broad research areas and the use of semiotics established particular ideas of my concept. I use collage techniques to contextualise my work and validate my design choices. The design integrates religious symbols which are heavily implemented into my croquis, like over exaggerated cross on the sleeve, or coffins that restrict the garment.

The number 2 integrates with the fabric choice, such as light silk organza symbolising the spiritual part and a heavy fabric like wool and cotton symbolising the nature of the death. The integration of “Rigor mortis” impacts the build of my designs with more structural looks. I also integrate my own cultural beliefs on death. Therefore, one design will use stiff fabric with traditional symbols on top. This design integrates the surrealism current as well, by irrational juxtaposition of objects. The work of Salvador Dali influenced me on design process and outcome. His highly imaginative work inspired the exaggerated elements of my design. I depict the decomposition of the body through techniques like heat gun on synthetic fabric, which gives the fabric an embellished look, and it can have a structural or a fluid appearance.

Another technique here is devore. This technique is made by dissolving different layers of fabric, similar to how the body decompose after death. When considering how my collection should be presented, I looked to my contemporary for reference. For example, designer Aitor Throup in his collection “object research ss 2017” presents a set of prototype garments on giant marionettes instead of models. That’s why I would like my show to tell a story, not just through my designs but also through the whole set up. For sounds, I will use traditional elements from my own culture. In some parts of my country there are ladies who cry and sing at the same time for the person that just passed. They express in their song the pain that the family endures, which depicts the emotional aspect of my concept. For the catwalk show I will use dry ice to simulate the effect of fog, another key point that illustrates obscurity. For location, I envision my show in a church, as it will bring all the elements together and send the right message, that of cultural appreciation.

To conclude, my concept explores death and after-life, predominant themes of my designs. I integrate religion to define my aesthetic, design and presentation, as well as define my future brand identity.