Research | Pattern Cutting

Pattern making for clothes consists of 2D pieces of cloth manipulated into structured, architectural forms, or soft draping silhouettes. Clothing patterns have been drafted for centuries and they have become a language in it their own right.

Patterns are often drafted by a different individual to the maker, therefore communication through notation is key. The pattern requires all the necessary information to be constructed with minimal written instruction. This translation of the design intent to garment is similar to the translation of the architectural drawing to the building.

I designed a workshop for students at Oxford Brookes University and led students through a series of experiments that explored the pattern making process and how it can be reinterpreted. Folded 3D forms were dissected, unfolded and reassembled, resulting in a 2D pattern that can be assembled by others.

These experiments informed an approach to an ‘unfolded architecture’.