the need to travel but belonging nowhere
Luke Harthen
Clothes that make you feel good and support positive mental health.
Taking inspiration from ‘Grunge’ fashion, the LGBTQIA+ community was the target market for Luke’s design project. The aim was to create genderless fashion and silhouettes, centred around the concept that comfort and style that doesn’t speak to a specific gender can make the wearer feel comfortable and confident, and help people feel better when they are struggling with their mental health.
The idea was linked to wanderlust, a feeling inside of the need to travel but belonging nowhere. It was important for this nomadic sensibility to shine through in the work, to represent the want to fit in with a ‘normal’ headspace. The word ‘Nomad’ is used to depict the person that wanderlust is describing, the individual who is going on a journey to find self-acceptance. The Nomad was to be the wearer of the pieces created, with physical attributes in the designs aiming to help the wearer feel better about themselves.
Self-reflection and self-acceptance through themes of nature and exploring how fashion can be used to positively and/or negatively impact a person’s day to day life and well-being, led Luke to designing a piece of clothing with feelings and mood already attached to it. He created a ‘happy’, ‘relaxed’ and ‘calming’ printed T-shirt and accompanying overcoat and jeans which incorporated detachable pockets and bags as part of the design.
Interviews with five anonymous participants helped with the design process for the T-shirt. They were asked to describe what clothing, colours and fabric types made them feel more positive when they felt down. The findings indicated that clothing with comfortable, free sizing, helped the wearer to feel relaxed, happy and calm. He used this information in the design process and created a loose-fitting T-shirt with a print that used green, blue and brown in the print colour palette as colours research participants identified in helping them to feel happy, calm and relaxed. This information was used in the print design ad colour palette for each version of the outfit.
Memories recalled by interviewees about clothing were incorporated into the design process and the finished piece – a ‘wellness T-shirt’ emerged as a way to help the wearer feel better on a day when they are not feeling their best.
Instagram: @lukeharthendesign
IMAGES: Luke Harthen
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