Experimental fashion designer launches human body-inspired collection
AVANT-GARDE fashion designer Kelvin Morales (www.kelvinmoralesph.com) explores the anatomies of the human body, as well as the essence of their touch and movement in a thought-provoking experimental collection.
“What if the human skin can be used as material for clothing without the judgmental social hiss on cannibalism? What would it look like in the modern day?” he pondered.
Fueled by this curiosity and his passion for the wide array of possible materials, the young contemporary artist, who formally honed his creativity and fascination under the Fashion Design and Merchandising Program of the De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde, set on his extensive research and embarked on crafting different boards for various moods, fabrics, silhouettes and colors.
“It helped me make a cohesive collection and get me on track,” he shared. “For me, it’s an effective way to translate energy to my works and makes it easy to understand.”
Human Leather was the end result, a 14-piece collection that exhibits the peculiar beauty of the human skin through a seamless combination and incorporation of tattoo-inspired embroideries, colorized human hair, manual hand embroidery, traditional beauty of local fabrics, and nifty bespoke details that embody the conceptual and tactile qualities of individuals.
“Clothes should be an extension of one’s self and with this collection, I took that literally,” Morales noted in his look book. “I interpreted skin as clothes and translated it into clothing that mimic that concept. This contextualizes the human body and the function of fashion in a different way, dismantling the stereotyping of beauty.”
“I wanted to highlight the diversity of human skin and equality of different races and colors,” he reiterated.
Currently, Morales is gearing up for the incoming PHX 2020-2021, an incubation project of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions and the Department of Trade and Industry for young and emerging Filipino designers to showcase their original creations and collections in Tokyo.