Q6. What does "couturier" mean to you?
A. A couturier was someone who integrated both pattern cutting and design into a single role. They understood how to assemble the body, structure the sleeves, and design the garment's construction themselves. Couturiers such as Cristóbal Balenciaga and Christian Dior embodied this approach. However, with changes in the industrial structure, the role of the couturier has largely disappeared. Today, the responsibilities once held by couturiers are often divided between pattern cutters and designers. Through this project, we aim to reintegrate these two roles to preserve this holistic approach to garment creation.
Q7. What does it mean to think of garments as three-dimensional objects?
A. Let’s take a jacket as an example. If we break down the jacket into its core components, we can divide it into three main parts: the collar, which shapes the neck; the sleeves, which shape the arms; and the body, which shapes the torso. Each of these parts can be further divided into sub-elements. For instance, the collar consists of the collar stand and top collar, the sleeves include the sleeve head and sleeve cuff, and the body comprises bust darts and waist darts.
Thinking of garments as three-dimensional objects involves analyzing these components, understanding their roles, and recognizing that a single garment is made up of countless elements working together to form a cohesive structure. By deconstructing garments in this way, we can better comprehend how they are constructed and designed.
