Khadeeja Ali

My initial inspiration of the body worn sound processor into my designs found from medical journals. I had established some key design elements including straps and lingerie detailing in combination with harness-like structures, wire and pouch. One key design focus was to take inspiration from the Sonotone and containing design elements that were generally restricted to lingerie and to express these in the form of wearable outer garments. Through stand work I explored this further to see how lace, strap, wire and lingerie detailing could bring this concept to life.
I used the stand work to explore different cutout ideas such as the garter and bra cutout on the side, hip, waist, thigh. The stand work allowed me to adjust and experiment with the different adjustable straps such as the shoulder and waist straps which formed the harness designs. The stand work was particularly important when experimenting with different placements for the sonowear for example having the bag high up on the back, attached to the shoulder, or placed beneath the bust. I have incorporated cutout details into the neckline and shoulder portions of the garments. I experimented with different sizes and shapes for the cutout details. The splits in the shoulder region really made the garment stand out. These features accentuate the wearers collarbone and provides an off-shoulder look. Once more I experimented with different cutout details for the back, shoulder, thigh, waist hip and neck portions of the garment. I experimented with different materials for the cutout details including jersey silk and lace. The sleeve portion of the garment was developed through much experimentation of different design details such as the suspender and adjustable straps features. I experimented different placements for the cutout details including applying cutout details to the side slit elbow, wrist, and thumb hole sleeve. The cutout details on both side sleeves provided a lingerie style touch to the garments.