Lea “Ray” Archambault
La Mariposa y la Cafetera
Prompt: One objective of this assignment is to begin considering how objects inhabit space. Not only are you inhabiting the wearable, but your wearable is inhabiting the space around it. Construct an interesting form, thoughtful of the space it’s taking as well as the negative space inherently created. We make daily decisions on the clothing we wear. Our choices are based on climate, comfort, style, identity, etc. For your design, think of how you can communicate something about you. Do research on fashion, patterns, and color relating to cultural/having cultural significance. Do you identify with your clothing based on society, family, and/or culture? How does what we wear relate to a community? Your final wearable should represent, embody, and symbolize an aspect of your identity
When thinking about this assignment in relation to my identity, I ended up choosing to take inspiration from my Cuban heritage, specifically the Cuban national flower, the Butterfly Jasmine, otherwise known as the “White Mariposa”. For the accessory we were required to create, as Cubans (and Hispanic people as a whole) are heavy coffee drinkers. So, I chose to create a functional Moka Pot, or as we call it, a “Cafetera”, which opens and closes, mimicking a purse.