Ephemeral Embraces: milkweed fibres from land to body

Abstract

Garments historically originate from organic fibres harvested from the Earth, however the visual and physical qualities of materials and their origins are not typically foregrounded in modern garment architecture. This research studies the common milkweed plant in situ, as a species on the land, and ex situ, as a harvested fibre, extending traditional ideas of thermal performance to include delight. Architect and researcher Lisa Heschong describes thermal delight in architecture as the joy found in the experience of temperature variation on the skin, which is as applicable to architecture as it is to garment design. The design of a transforming garment made from organic fibres provides contrasting thermal experiences on different parts of the body. Taking inspiration from the biological and morphological transformations of the milkweed plant across seasons, a garment for the human body is designed for thermal delight through visual, tactile, structural, and adaptable encounters. Through the fabrication of a milkweed fibre-filled garment, this research explores the potential to design for thermal delight through the following parameters: material origin (connection between body and land), material intimacy (visual and tactile pleasure), material warmth (structured warmth), and material adaptability (climatic variation). The garment material and function invite a conversation about the future of envelopes in fashion and architecture mirroring the constant changing environments humans are situated in, more intimately connecting human experience back to the land.