The Stratford - a high-rise bespoke uniform project , 2019
The Stratford - Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) & Manhattan Loft Corporation
The uniform identity was inspired by light, glass and the visual weight of the actual architectural design from SOM, supplying a holistic and technologically advanced design to all staff positions, in all positions, covering 42 floors in 400 feet height, from the entry to the roof. For this bespoke uniform identity, the intention was to make the uniforms as pieces of moveable architecture taking inspiration from the actual building. To create a contrast between the uniforms and the modern interior and exterior of the building, all seams which are usually hidden inside a uniform, were purposely placed on the outside of the uniforms, creating a subtle design detail in the manufacturing and sewing of each garment. This design detail was continued into bespoke footwear for the staff: a site-specific-sneaker. This footwear design was made directly from sketch to a 360 degree rendering on a screen. Through the use of digital design and by shaping it with fluid geometry, the design generated itself and was more calculated through mathematics rather than designed. From here, the design was handmade in Venice, Italy and was launched alongside the uniform identity at the official opening of the building. We named the shoe “Wendy” after Wendy Carlos, a legendary musician and composer known for her electronic music scores and one of the first public figures to disclose a gender reassignment surgery in 1972.
The uniform identity was inspired by light, glass and the visual weight of the actual architectural design from SOM, supplying a holistic and technologically advanced design to all staff positions, in all positions, covering 42 floors in 400 feet height, from the entry to the roof. For this bespoke uniform identity, the intention was to make the uniforms as pieces of moveable architecture taking inspiration from the actual building. To create a contrast between the uniforms and the modern interior and exterior of the building, all seams which are usually hidden inside a uniform, were purposely placed on the outside of the uniforms, creating a subtle design detail in the manufacturing and sewing of each garment. This design detail was continued into bespoke footwear for the staff: a site-specific-sneaker. This footwear design was made directly from sketch to a 360 degree rendering on a screen. Through the use of digital design and by shaping it with fluid geometry, the design generated itself and was more calculated through mathematics rather than designed. From here, the design was handmade in Venice, Italy and was launched alongside the uniform identity at the official opening of the building. We named the shoe “Wendy” after Wendy Carlos, a legendary musician and composer known for her electronic music scores and one of the first public figures to disclose a gender reassignment surgery in 1972.
