Mwewa Kangwa

My womenswear collection has been influenced by French Architect Jean Nouvel’s urban renewal project, One Central Park, in Sydney, Australia. I am particularly interested in the ways in which nature can take over areas that have been neglected or abandoned by humans. Often, these overgrown areas are not necessarily deemed as being beautiful; my aim is to encourage people to notice unexpected, and often disregarded, beauty in nature. For example, Bryophyta, commonly known as moss, tends to be removed, rather than seen as an elaborate green carpet. I have translated key elements from Nouvel’s architecture into contemporary womenswear with a focus on outerwear. Through my textile-focussed collection, I have transformed the overlooked into something of beauty and tactility, showing a textural representation of moss growing between spaces through structured garments with layered, 3D textile elements, such as weaving and quilting.