Carmen Cancila

Excerpts from an Interview with the Designer

Recorded on: March 21 2023

Tell me about your collection!

It's kind of funny because every time someone asks what the base of my collection is, a lot of people end up asking, oh, like, “is it based off the last of us?” because it's inspired by mycelium  roots of mushrooms and trees, so the communication network between those two. And essentially that network will let the other plants know around what nutrients are really prominent or like missing in the soil. It's a really cool underground communication network. And I'm applying that concept into the human experience: what kind of communication networks exist that we might not even register around us?

For example, the greater community consciousness. So very inspired by mushroom shapes and natural layering, and lots of pleating and all of those sorts of things. It's very fun, it's very conceptual, and otherworldly. Is there anything specific that inspired your idea? 

The past year's been a spiritual journey for me, so, I’ve done a lot of research into, um, like how plants are more aware of what's going on than we realize and how connected everything really is, and how we need to re-immerse ourselves back in nature, I think is the big inspiration.

How do you think clothing can bring us closer to connecting with nature?

The fashion industry is like the second highest polluting industry in the world. So, um, there's a lot of the opposite of the connection between the fashion industry and the earth. Using fashion in a more sustainable manner and also communicating these bigger concepts and ideas to inspire people to reconnect with nature, I think is a huge capability that we need to take advantage of. Because I don't think people always realize that fashion really is an art. It's just a more accessible form and sometimes can be more understandable, whether that's, um, just a simple printed tee with a message or a deeper, more artistic, um, Haute Couture, avant garde garment.

What components are you incorporating into the designs to convey your theme?

The curtain beads that I'm using almost look like giant veins, so they replicate roots, but in the human form. A lot of the evolution is just gonna be how I drape the fabric. Um, with the different silhouettes and how it's fitting to the form. I'm also using a thermoplastic, which is a moldable material that comes in a sheet and you use heat to mold it to whatever form you wanna do. Once you take the heat off of it, it's completely formed. I'm doing a couple corsets and a top with that. I'm really excited to use that.

Fashion can be very functional, conceptual, or both at the same time. What’s your take on that for this collection?

For me, I think the fact that we get to do a collection of about six pieces or so is really incredible because the restrictions of designing for someone else or designing for a brand that is aimed at functionality is stripped away. I'm very much taking the non-functional aspect to the extreme because it's not every day that you get to make things that you can't wear every day. It’s just an exciting opportunity. I make plenty of going out tops and everyday clothes in my own time, so for this, I’m pushing myself to the extreme and trying new techniques that you might not get to use for other typical garments.