Student Description

"My garment is predominantly influenced by the Panamanian culture, including their intricate Molar Designs as well as their flora and fauna. I also drew inspiration from Australian designer, Jenny Kee, who successfully incorporates bold and bright colours in apparel pieces. The coat is made from a red, plain melton fabric which achieves the desired warm, cosy handle without diminishing the functional performance of a coat. A design feature on the back of the coat is the Panamanian Golden frog which has been innovatively completed using sublimation printing, laser cutting and reverse appliqué. Reverse appliqué was also employed to create the recurring motif of colourful triangles, mirroring the motifs found in traditional Molar Designs, similar to Panamanian body painting designs. These designs have little to no empty space, reflecting the belief that any vacant space is room for evil spirits to settle. The coat also features the Heliconia plant, native to Panama, around the hips and this is similar to Jenny Kees work as she incorporates Australian flora in many of her designs and I found it a successful way to further depict the Panamanian culture. The abstract plant silhouettes on the front of the coat reflect a similar design in Kees work, influenced by Matisses use of blues and greens on a bright, red background, incorporating bold colour combinations. The coat also has many functional features such as two lined pockets as well as buttons which are aesthetic and tie into the rest of the design yet also functionally can draw in the coat to provide warmth. Although it was a challenge, I thoroughly enjoyed completing the reverse applique of the Golden frog as it was such an irregular shape and I had to ensure the fabric lay flat and evenly. This required detailed hand stitching prior to machine stitching the fabric together in such a way that the stitching looks invisible. While making my MTP, I learnt huge lessons in resilience and time management in completing such a large project as being a boarder and living far from school during COVID meant I spent more time learning online and receiving textiles advice over Zoom. The aspect I loved most about my project was developing the skills to physically create a garment that only existed in my head and to be able to turn those ideas into a reality."

Images of Work

"I completed French seams for the construction of the lining which results in a neat finish on both the outside and inside of the coat. French seams also result in a much stronger seam which is important, especially around high-wear areas such as the shoulders."

"Reverse appliqué was an integral technique in my project and was completed to achieve the repetitive triangles, Heliconia plants and Golden Frog on the back. This contributes to the aesthetic design as it allows for a clean, sharp edge between designs as well as a definitive line between the red coat and underlying, bright colours."

Select Student Folio Pages

The pages selected for each project reflect the individual students' interpretations of the syllabus guidelines for the MTP. Each student should develop their folio according to the guidelines, relating to their own individual project. This may result in a variety of presentation styles, numbers of sketches and/or experiments.