Nia Lagurashvili
Fashion Roots
Class of: 2025
Major: Fashion Design BFA
Medium: Clothing, oil painting
Faculty: Michelle Nahum-Albright
Prompt: It was our task to design a wearable or fashion product (for example, a magazine) that demonstrated clothing as a means of communication.
I’ve chosen to explore and research the rich and fascinating culture of Georgia for my project. I’m going to communicate my ideas primarily through Georgian traditional clothing. My approach to this topic will be through the eyes of a young Georgian girl who no longer resides in her country but is passionate about her culture. It is her goal to introduce Georgian traditions to the world and modernize them. Specifically, I will be making two garments for the project, the traditional Georgian men’s coat Chokha (which symbolizes Georgian pride) and the dress. The Chokha will be black with white bullets on the pockets. Chokha is originally the fighting uniform that I will symbolically wear in the streets of NY to let the Russian people know ( who are the war initiators and occupiers of my and a bunch of other countries) that I’m Georgian and I’m proud of my country. A bloody red fabric will be used on the lining, which will be a reference to the Georgian flag. Under a Chokha will be worn a white dress, which is challenging the gender roles and is the representation of the now modern Georgia. It is necessary for me to conduct further research on Chokha to better understand its history. As for the performing aspect, I need to learn sewing and come up with a pattern for the Chokha, which isn’t available anywhere.