Mrs. K's Exotic Fruit

Student designer: Carol Faulkner
School: TAFE NSW Sydney Institute, Design Centre Enmore, New South Wales
Award: First Prize winner in Fashion Design, Australasian Student Design Awards 2010

About the design

Inspired by the 1950's science fiction classic 'The Martian Chrinicals', the works two explore the novel's central themes of invasion and colonisation and was specifically deisgned for the martian character, Mrs. K. As descendants of an ancient civilisation the Martians inhabit a Blue planet where beauty, form, and function are expressed in evocative detail.

Trapped in a version of1950's gender role play, Mrs. K was the unwilling accomplice in her husband's crime of passion against Nathaniel York, the first human to set foot on Mars. She was constrained by convention in an unconventional setting.

Theatrical and science fiction costuming were referenced in the design. An inexpensive recyclable material and a desire to create wearables befitting a Martian muse were combined to realise a contemporary design solution.

Mrs. K's cuff was made of 925 silver and hand dyed cable ties, while her gown was constructed entirely of cable ties. As a thermo plastic material, the ties can be ground up and recycled at 'end of life.' Biodegradable dyes were selected to create colours ranging from aqua to midnight blue, reflecting the collective nature of the book.

About the Australasian Student Design Awards 2010

The Design Institute of Australia's Australasian Student Design Awards (ASDA) fosters the future of Sustainable Design practice by rewarding the region's best emerging designers. As the foremost student design awards, the ASDA multidisciplinary program attracts an exceptional range, depth and quality of entries.

Entry is open to design projects created in second Semester 2009 or first Semester 2010 from entrants aged 18 years or older who are residents of Australia and New Zealand.

ASDAs categories include:

1. Space: Interior Design, Interior Decoration, Exhibition & Display Design
   

2. Image: Visual Design

3. Object: Furniture Design, Textile Design, Industrial Design, Jewellery Design, Fashion Design (new for 2010)

Find out more at: www.design.org.au/asda