My thesis project is a fashion line of trendy vests designed for young Hispanic women. I illustrated 3 unique patterns that blend traditional Mexican Aztec motifs and flowers into a modern design that celebrates Mexican culture. My designs draw inspiration from Mexican traditional clothing such as ruffles and bows, and feature three distinct flower patterns: marigold, poinsettia, and yucca. This collection is named Florea which means to bloom, this name represents me by showing how much I have grown over the years in art and life.
Each pattern is inspired by flowers in Mexico, the Yuca flower, poinsettia and the marigold flower. The Yucca species is native to the highlands of southwestern Mexico. This flower symbolizes protection and purification. The Poinsettia flower symbolizes purity and peace. The Poinsettia is Native to Mexico, the plant is called Flor de la Noche Buena (Flower of the Holy Night) due to its resemblance to the Star of Bethlehem. These flowers are seen during winter months. The Marigold flower symbolizes power, strength, and light that lives inside of a person. These flowers are a national symbol for Dia de los Muertos. These flowers are said to help guide the spirits to their altars using their vibrant colors and pungent scent.
Each vest is hand made and sewn in a size small. My fabric pattern are printed from Spoonflower. I created multiple mockups to get the fit I want for my final vests. My three 11x17 illustrations are rendered in procreate. I decided to create illustration in my style to showcase these patterns being used on a flat surface and to help show how these patterns could be used on anything not just garments.
I wanted my project to speak to me and show my interest. I enjoy fashion and pattern making in and wanted to showcase this in my final project. My final three illustrations are created in my art style. I enjoy doing geometric and sharp illustrations. I wanted these illustrations to showcase my patterns on an illustrations and not just on fabric, i wanted this to help showcase that my patterns could be placed flat and not just fabric. It was very eyeopening to see my patterns printed out on final fabric and sewn into a garment. I wanted this project to showcase my love of Mexico and where my family came from. This project is a thank you to my family for allowing me to follow my love for art and always encouraging me to keep going. I had this project idea sense freshman year to try to create something I love and including fashion in my project. I’m very proud of the final outcome and pushed myself to continue sewing garments.