I noticed how many swatch books the interior design industry throws away, including those from my brother’s work. This project reimagines that waste as wearable art.
The composition is the act of seeing through pieces: perspective built through abstraction rather than clarity. The face doesn’t exist in a single viewpoint. It is assembled from many angles into an expressive eye that observes and questions.
These small fabric samples are produced in bulk, used briefly for material selection, then thrown away despite their quality and potential.
Instead of forcing uniformity, I wanted to celebrate their differences. The irregular shapes, tonal variations and distinct weaves felt like pieces of a visual puzzle waiting to be assembled into something expressive.
That curiosity led me to Cubism, an art movement built on breaking forms down and reconstructing them from new perspectives. Its philosophy matched my intent: turning discarded fragments into a cohesive identity.
Sustainability isn’t an afterthought or a theme here. It is the origin.
Each piece started with observing the swatches I had sourced and working towards their potential. The material guided every decision in form, composition and expression.
Step 1 of 4
Interior-design swatch books: made in bulk, used briefly for choosing materials, then thrown away.
Step 2 of 4
Each swatch is limited in quantity and size, so traditional garment making wasn’t possible. That limit opened a new direction.
Step 3 of 4
Through sketching and shifting compositions, I refined the artwork piece by piece, like a puzzle, with the eye as the focal point.
Step 4 of 4
On denim, the illustration became a wearable canvas.
The first piece made with this concept.
I attached every fragment with zig-zag appliqué stitching, on purpose. It adds a raw, streetwear attitude and shows how the artwork was constructed. The visible stitches make deconstruction part of the aesthetic, not something hidden.
Sometimes the most complete vision comes from what appears broken.
Next project
