Scaffolded Bodies

Category: Apparel

Scaffolded Bodies explores women’s emancipation after World War I, focusing on how they actively construct their own lives through labour and independence. Taking women working in high-altitude construction as a starting point, the project highlights resilience, courage, and agency. Through weaving as both technique and metaphor, it reflects the idea of “building a life,” where threads form scaffold-like structures that symbolise continuous self-construction and reconstruction. This project explores how traditional basket-weaving techniques can be reinterpreted in contemporary womenswear through sustainable design. Using recycled cotton denim, the garment transforms a familiar everyday material into a sculptural textile, creating volume and structural forms while minimising waste. To reduce waste of fabric, I remove the shoulder seam allowance about 2cm. The design deconstructs conventional denim construction by replacing traditional sewing with recycled YKK metal rivets at the lower section of the garment. The rivets function both as structural connectors and decorative elements, creating intentional gaps and flexibility. This approach highlights the raw edges of the woven denim, emphasising a deconstructed aesthetic while allowing the garment to adapt and move with the body. Inspired by traditional craftsmanship, the project combines fabric manipulation with modern construction techniques to preserve cultural heritage in a contemporary context. By rethinking the relationship between material, craft and silhouette, the design demonstrates how sustainable materials and handcraft can coexist to create innovative fashion with both aesthetic and environmental value.