Cluster (Tania Thompson/Scott Smith/Chris Nanos), Canada
When is a dress not a dress? And when is a dress better as a not-a-dress?
A dress is not a dress when it is still in its blueprint form. And it is better as a blueprint when that blueprint happens to be from Martin Margiela.
For our Martin Magiela dress, CLUSTER took the "design challenge of the preciseness of structure" as far as it could go, working strictly within the parameters of what we were given: a digital copy of the pattern. No fabric, no ribbon, no alterations beyond those that could be applied directly to the digital file itself.
CLUSTER's dress is a faithful print out of the digital file, altered only in scale to accentuate our self-imposed challenge. The structure is highlighted through its ability to stand alone as pattern only. By creating a fashion maquette the sculptural and architectural elements of patternmaking are celebrated.