About
Having spent her youth surrounded by sparkly maillots, roller skates, and all kinds of crafting activities, Carla has always admired any and every type of manual labor. Although she took a long walk down the academic route, after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, she decided to return to her roots and pursue a career in the fashion industry, more specifically in behind-the-scenes work.
With that purpose in mind, she obtained a professional diploma in patternmaking and dressmaking while developing skills in embroidery and manual needlework. Her many years of competitive artistic roller skating, along with her perfectionist personality, shaped her into a rigorous, organized, and responsible individual. All these skills translate directly to the workplace, as she is meticulous, dynamic, and determined to overcome challenges.
While her main focus lies in the construction and embellishment of garments, she also enjoys the creative process of designing (clothes, patterns, accessories...) as well as the calculated and focused art of patternmaking. Carla demonstrates a particular ability to observe and interpret the demands and requirements in place in every project, resolving those needs in her work.
This portfolio offers insight into herself and her work. She is excited to embark on her career and is eager to keep learning as much as possible.
Intrinsec: Graduate Collection
Design & Inspiration
This project represents the communion of the two main pillars of my life so far: philosophy, which gave me the tools to think about happiness; and sewing, which allowed me to make it tangible.
Following a secondary theme present in the Thesis of my previous Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy - which examined anthropological materialism in Ludwig Feuerbach -, I took the concept of contraposition as the key point for exploration in design for my diploma's final collection.
No being exists without limit
No life exists without misery, nor passion without suffering
Life is intrinsically embedded to contraposition
The final idea was to express this tension, almost like a dance, between existence's opposite lines, which define it and keep it in perpetual evolution. To accomplish this goal, the twelve designs of the collection present a basic colour pallete that ranges from whites, blacks and the medium shadows. These contrasting pigments are separate in the beginning, but as the looks go on their independence becomes blurry. Also, to add a more passional and organic note, dashes of red and anatomical heart embroidery were included.In addition, the collection was focused on exploring textile manipulation, using smocking, patchwork and embroidery to further connect with these different stages of the thought process.
At the same time, during the design process there was an intentional commitment to sustainability. I envisioned this collection to be created using mostly materials I already had in my possession from previous projects, upcycling and secondhand purchases, and if some fabrics had to be purchased new, they would have to be deadstock. This challenge was successfully fulfilled as the three looks patterned and sewn used ninety-five percent of materials that fit these characteristics.
Without further ado, the twelve designs that constitute "Intrínsec":
"Un ésser sense misèria és un ésser sense fonament.(...) L'únic mitjà per unir sense contradicció determinacions contraposades o contradictòries en un mateix ésser és el temps"
- Feuerbach, L. (Amengual, G. Ed.). (1984). Manifestos Antropològics. Laia.
Shooting
Out of the twelve designs that constitute the collection, three were chosen to be brought to life. All connected with each other to illustrate how darkness and light, logic and emotion, are both sides to the same coin: the human condition.
This first look represents the structured, rational part of our being. Straight silhouette, seemingly controlled and solemn from the front, but when it turns, the smock loses some shape, then an open back is revealed. Body coming out of the shell, fabric moving at its own volition, expressing how, as much as one can desire to calculate every move and every occurrence, life has its way of escaping our schemes, for logic alone cannot rule our life.
The second look evokes the irregular nature of passion. Colours and textures intertwine: hand-felted red wool, golden jacquard, black faux leather, sequins, taffeta... A corset that tightens the chest - as emotions and their contradictions so often do - revealing an opening in the center front with a split black and white embroidery heart. Because, no matter how unmovable one tries to keep their passions, it is not always in our hand to control their ebb and flow.
The final look constitutes the pinnacle of this confrontation. On the one side, a simple black line, symmetrical in front and back, serene and at peace. On the other, a vibrant embroidered heart, a bead away from beating on its own, holding onto the body through a string of pearls that almost look like the ribs that confine it. It is when the two entities finally find peace that the most harmonious piece can become. No half can sustain itself without the other, neither in life nor in the dress.
Tech Pack
This is an excerpt of the tech packs for the collection, this one being for the dress design.
Denim workshop
Patternmaking
Embroidery
Inspired by my childhood in a coastal town, this embroidery project aimed to capture the gleaming aura of the sea in a creative and imaginative way, as if you were taking a look from the inside of a submarine.
With some non-conceptual elements and various marine creatures, I took this exercise as an opportunity to let my mind wander and work without a specific plan - something that is quite challenging for me. The preparation involved a light sketch of the main figures and the composition of a small colour palette. This way, I had some source to guide the creation process, but most of the filling elements, colours and beading work were decided on the go as I stitched.
Even though I had some prior experience with embroidery, this project truly deepened my passion for hand-stitching in general. I’m eager to continue learning and to experiment with all kinds of techniques.
