This year, Art2Wear’s annual showcase, “Revive,” featured a creative twist. The event was held at the Gregg Museum of Art and Design and featured a 35-minute promenade performance in which guests walked through the galleries to discover avant-garde designs and archival artifacts from previous years of Art2Wear.
Art2Wear is a student-led wearable art showcase that displays art made by students from all majors. It pushes the boundaries of how fashion is defined and aims to perform the designers’ stories and collections in unique ways.
Upon the gallery’s opening, Keerthi Nagapudi and Lydia Spears, the event’s co-directors, encouraged guests to view everything twice due to the intricate and deliberate details woven throughout the artwork and atmosphere.
Visitors proceeded in all directions throughout the museum. Each room felt like a step into an entirely new world. All of the models were engrossed in performances that complemented the vision behind each wearable art piece.
Some models glided through the gallery as if suspended in water, completely removed from the people watching. From navigating forests of spooky trees to taking angry phone calls, each operated in a uniquely constructed environment, like a living diorama.
Other models interacted with guests touring the exhibit to further immerse them in the experience. There were no ropes or glass separating the artwork from the audience. Even so, it was as if an invisible fence surrounded each model — an unspoken boundary allowing them space to perform. Still, some visitors were drawn in past this imaginary line and became part of the scene.
A range of creative choices encouraged audience interaction. For example, the look “Ornaments of Being” by Sophie Dickerson invited participants to select an item from a table of trinkets and hang it on vibrant, branch-like wings attached to the wearable art piece. This approach incited engagement with the unique story behind each detail.
Another one of the most awe-inducing interactive scenes featured a human-tree hybrid that offered a single acorn or fake cockroach in a delicately outstretched hand. “The Return Home,” a look by Mia Danford-Klein, is a life-size, intricate construction of a tree with a model bursting through it from the waist-up.
The piece encompassed earthy, gaunt tones creeping from the tree to the faux ribs exposed from the model’s chest. Smooth, calculated movements mimicked the soft swaying of a tree, further blurring the line between human and nature.
As observers stood frozen in awe — or perhaps fear of fake cockroaches — and admired the details hand-painted onto each limb, it became clear the immense growth this method of performance offers for Art2Wear.
Art2Wear has never centered around tradition. However, in the past, it has adopted a style that encompasses a stage, a few minutes to showcase a designer’s work and a seated audience. While still visually stunning, this format sometimes causes the meticulous detail of each piece to be overlooked.
While there are pros to both methods, this year’s performance offered a close-up look at every piece. The audience moved through the gallery at their own pace, so if a particular design spoke to them, they could spend extended time photographing and observing it.
The promenade performance style also allowed for deeper storytelling surrounding the designer’s intent for each look. With deliberate set design and increased model-audience interaction, it felt as though the purpose of each collection was better appreciated.
Every Art2Wear designer puts immense effort into creating something visually engaging and highly detailed while also weaving in emotion and meaning. No collection is without a clear vision to drive its creation.
The meticulous nature of Art2Wear demands a careful eye to fully appreciate it. “Revive” showcased the stunning work of the designers and models in a way that provided a newfound appreciation for not only the art itself but also the passion and story that surround it. I look forward to seeing how Art2Wear continues to build on this platform in future shows.
If you’re interested in getting involved with Art2Wear or simply following their journey, you can follow their Instagram @ncsuart2wear or visit their website for more information.
