"DEFENSE" - KATYA ROMANTSOV

My project has drawn inspiration from wearable protective equipment that protects a woman’s body from radiation in space and earth. The choice of this topic mainly due to childhood anxiety from an apocalyptic vision and fear of nuclear/natural disasters.
I made a women collection that influenced by sportswear and streetwear, as well as classic evening clothes with large volumes that come from haute couture.
During the research, I was exposed to the Israeli company STEAMRAD, which manufactures clothing that protects from radiation and is intended for first responders such as military personnel, firefighters, medical staff and astronauts. The astronaut vest is designed to protect against radiation during space travel as well as future trips to Mars. This vest selectively protects vital organs like the chest and pelvis. A selective form of protection results in an intriguing topographic structure of the vest that is also reminiscent of a female corset.
The issue of protective clothing has become very relevant these days with the outbreak of COVID-19. These days, protective suits looks more like an everyday clothes. For example, Diva Newman developed lightweight and flexible space suits. Therefore, the collection has the option to play with the level of contraction of the garment. The collection uses fabrics as nylon, leather, prints with expand pasta on copro, and jacquard knits that I developed in a knitting lab.
Another thing that inspired me is the astronauts' food packaging, which is stored in vacuum bags with interesting graphics that were used in the first space flights. Each package had a day and a meal number. For example, Day 1- First meal. This element is reflected in a T-shirt from the collection on which is written: Day 1 T-shirt
In my point of view, ethnic attire takes on a new image due to globalization processes and creates a new group of people who have the same ideology and new requirement from their cloths. This is the beginning of a new era in which ethnic garment is characterized by a need for survival rather than history and culture.