Mother Vest

A modular, reversible vest inspired by mothers, eclectic grandmas, and ecofeminism. Celebrating the women who do it all.

Co-designed with Tessa Krochak

Waxed canvas

Tartan polyester blend

Brass snaps

Concept Sketches

After discovering the term “eco-feminism,” our concept became clear - a modular vest that celebrates the complexities of womanhood all the while fighting rapidly fast fashion by having one simple garment with interchangeable features for all your needs.

1st and 2nd Functional Prototypes

Here are images of the 1st and second functional prototypes, where we tested fit and function of the interchangeable attachment peices.

Inspiration: All hail the mother!

This project was led with the question: What if the fashion industry was a matriarch? For research, we dove into articles on the latest trends inspired by the women that came before us, such as the “italian grandma” aesthetic or even the “eclectic grandpa”. We found countless examples of mismatched, thrown-together fits, all designed to celebrate how much women really do.

Prototyping

During this project we created 2 different prototypes before the final to test how our concept would come to life. We explored which fasteners would work best for interchangable sleeves, skirts, or collars, and drafted and redrafted many different shapes and sizes for pockets and the main body.

Final Patterns

These are the final pattern pieces we drafted for the vest and interchangable attachment pieces.

Evolution

Here is an image of the progression of our project. From Prototype 1 all the way to the final product

Production

Next, it was time to get into production mode. After making so many prototypes, we had a great understanding of the order of construction for our vest, making this part of the process go smoothly.