Expressions Collection

I come from a fine arts background and have always loved 2D and 3D making methods, though I tended to favor physical sewing and making over design. Through my journey at Parsons, I’ve found a love for illustration and the endless possibilities that it offers. I have developed my own illustration style that feels personal and effectively expresses the visual identity that I try to achieve. I love the idea that my work lives in its own colorful, smiley world, and serves as a bridge between reality and my imagination.

As a lover of fashion and art history, I admire the work of illustrators and artists of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, like Peter Max, Thom Klika “The Rainbow Man”, and Ken Done. I also love the feeling of nostalgia and joy that vintage children’s book illustrations create. Authors and illustrators Françoise Seignobosc, Richard Scarry, and Mary Blair were pioneers in this field, and are influential to me for their bold color choices, their enchanting imagery, and their darling characters. In this collection, I combined the 2D and 3D worlds through illustration, painting, and hand made textiles.

This collection is inspired by my own illustrations, which are primarily of human characters who model my garment designs. I usually refer to them as my “fashion girls”. Though they are fashion illustrations with a focus on their clothing, the character who models the garments is equally as important to me. I name each fashion girl based on her pose, expression, energy, and of course what she’s wearing. I try to formulate a personality for each one, making them expressive with a distinct identity (you can see more fashion girls on my Fashion Illustrations page, click here!). I integrated parts of the body that I find to be the most expressive (hands and facial features) into the following garments as a way to bring that personality into my clothing.

You can check out more about the development of this collection in my Junior year portfolio by clicking here! Also, I physically made the Sonny Suit set worn by Farrah which you can see by clicking here!