Artist Statement

Born in NYC and raised in Miami, I am a student in the Brown University/Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Dual Degree Program studying Materials Science and Engineering/Apparel Design. I consider myself a transdisciplinary fashion designer and artist. Although my core passion resides with fashion, I am able to traverse the fields of design, incorporating fashion as being a concept grander than pieces of clothing:

I believe that fashion constitutes the architectural intelligence of the human body. 

In my work I gravitate towards exploring concepts of the avant garde, investigating how the human body can become a catalyst from which organic form can then emerge. I derive inspiration from my biological surroundings to inform the organic marks of fashion design and fine art alike. Living in such a bio-diverse geographical area such as Miami, I find that my everyday encounters can be magnified and projected onto any piece of work. Whether it be jellyfish or strangler fig trees, I am able to mindfully adapt and admire the undulating, lively pulsations of my habitat. In a sense, I aim to explore art itself as a natural, living organism.

Sustainability is a topic that affects every ounce of human existence. Nature was placed for humanity to attend to, not vice versa, and I therefore feel keeping a sustainable approach to my designs is of paramount importance. Fashion design being the second largest polluting industry in the world, many are able to speak ad nauseum of its harmful effects. Due to this, I tend to incorporate upcycling into many of my designs. Being upcycling clothing from a thrift store, accepting donations from others, or reimagining the non-renewable materials of everyday life, I am always open to alternative resources which won’t further strain our environment.

Technology is the emerging forefront to art and design as a whole, and I therefore consider myself an arbiter between materiality and technological incorporation. Using a combination of 3d and 2d elements, I am able to provide insight from various points of view. A main technological advancement in my work is the use of 3d printing. From conception of an idea, to digital modeling, to final product, I am able to see my projects develop through a real-time lens. An auxiliary component to this process is that I tend to halt my digital rendering, print out my process, and aggregate by hand in order to further merge the worlds of technology and materiality into a constant feedback loop.

To further implement fashion design as architecture of the body, I take inspiration from two main designers: Iris Van Herpen and Zaha Hadid. Although one is traditionally considered a fashion designer and the other an architect, both are able to deviate from traditional scapes of work and create worlds of their own. Just as architects use plans to influence form, I intend to use the human body itself as the canvas for limitless creation.

 My work enables humanity to interact with their surroundings in a way that alters and elevates life’s ecological continuum.