Modular Leaf Armour (2018)

A project for Fabricademy on the topic of “Open source circular fashion”, I designed leaf-inspired, interlocking fabric modules, and assembled several hundred of them into a simple top.

Modular design is fascinating, as it's possible to make garments that can be adjusted in size, thickness, length, etc - multiple possibilities for multiple uses. Modules can also be cut out of scrap fabric, re-purposing waste from other projects.

Modular Leaf Armour is also a protective garment, as the majority of the modules are made from a UV shielding fabric. The module pattern is also designed to tessellate (when laid out next to each other, they fit together like a jigsaw). This minimises the amount of waste material / fabric scraps generated from making this garment.

This project was made at TextileLab Amsterdam and used digital design (in Adobe Illustrator), laser cutting, and 3+ days of assembling the modules by hand. Full documentation is here.