Exploring Space, Volume, and Texture: Kirsten Fletcher

World of WearableArt designer Kirsten Fletcher has loved three-dimensional design since she first encountered it at university, eventually making it her major. She was endlessly fascinated by the complexities of exploring space, volume, and texture.

It was also at university that Kirsten first came across the World of WearableArt Awards, but due to a conflict of deadlines, she was unable to enter while she was studying. However, it sparked an interest and opened her eyes to wearable art as a path to pursue.

After graduating, Kirsten travelled to London and found full-time work in a costume house. This experience allowed her to combine her interest in three-dimensional design with her skills and passion for dressmaking; a combination that she brings to her World of WearableArt entries.

Over the years Kirsten developed a career in costume in a wide variety of formats. She has created for dance, opera, theatre, drama, circus, television, street theatre, and film. Some of her work includes Star Wars, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Thor: Ragnarok.

After a decade of wanting to enter the Awards Competition, she eventually decided she had no more excuses. Giving her creativity time and space led to her first garment in 2013, Venus Anadyomene. This was a sculpted wool-felt garment inspired by millinery techniques, and it was awarded an Honourable Mention in the South Pacific Section.

This experience spurred Kirsten on. She entered several more garments – in 2014, A Cut in Time, an intricate garment made of polypropylene; and in 2015, a polystyrene, resin, foil and wire garment, Flow of Creation, which won Third Prize in the 2015 Open Section.

Kirsten’s 2019 garment, Woven In-tent, was inspired by an experience she had at Glastonbury Music Festival. Disturbed by the number of tents that were simply abandoned and left on the fields once the festival had ended, she set about raising awareness of this wasteful practice and modern consumerist tendencies, through her garment.

Kirsten collected over 500 tents from three different festivals over five years. Each tent was deconstructed and then hand-pleated to create these powerful, feminine guardians.

World of WearableArt designer Kirsten Fletcher has loved three-dimensional design since she first encountered it at university, eventually making it her major. She was endlessly fascinated by the complexities of exploring space, volume, and texture.

Kirsten’s garment, Woven In-tent, won an outstanding four titles at the 2019 WOW Awards Show. Winning the Supreme WOW Award Runner-up, the Avant-garde Section, the International Design Award – Australia & Pacific, and The Residency Experience Award; an opportunity to show up to five pieces of their work at the exclusive Residency Experience showroom in Los Angeles for a three-month period. From this exposure, her garment was picked up by musical superstar Lizzo who wore Woven In-tent on the front of Rolling Stone magazine.

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