Comfort Zones is a practice- based research project in which physical and emotional comfort and discomfort is experienced by the human body. A variety of different Comfort Zones is presented. All of them deal with the delicate and playful relationship between filling material and cover, in which knitted structures and materials play a central role in order to create comfort. All Comfort Zones embed the human body and create a balance of an artistic and functional expression.The elasticity of the knit is challenged when creating volume and emphasizes the idea that comfort is elastic in material/physical way, as well as well in emotions. Filling materials give a new dimension, sensitivity and offer new opportunities. As well as the knit is serving as a cover and decorative element, it has the ability to create its own padding. By rolling up a knitted tube, volume is built up layer by layer; a torus appears and captures a void in the center of the form, required by the tube, the fundament. All Comfort Zones are created by different methods of form giving, wherein the knitted tube plays an essential role in guiding the design process and form exploration, such as: rolling, pleating, cutting, stuffing, layering and compressing.
Some zones are more conceptual than others, all are sculptural, but never divided from function: they are scaled up to accommodate and offer comfort for the human body. By discreet details in structure, material and form, hints of discomfort are given to create a vibrant expression as it also shows how vulnerable and fragile comfort is- it can just exist for one moment, for one thought, for instance.
Since garments have a great influence on our comfort and discomfort, it seemed challenging and appropriate to design textiles for the body emphasizing and interacting with the collection- the Comfort Zones. Clothing strongly supports our physical and emotional state and affects a coherent balance of ‘being’, when comfortable. All garments are made out of knitted material, being used in the Comfort Zones. Knit expresses a clear comfort in its flexibility and touch and offers additional stabilization and fit. Elements of color and materiality return within the collection when translated on the body. A clear interaction happens when the body touches and activates the zones.The material and the body evoke each other when composed together; the skin/ the upper surface of both elements change.
