Chaos

theory

bfa senior

capstone project

researching

branding

experience design

Chaos Theory is my new clothing label, created with the intention of solidifying my identity as a player in the fashion industry and to further my mission of embracing my own personal style and helping others to do the same.

Skip to solution

research

How might I combat my fashion "imposter syndrome" + fashion trend cycles through establishing an identity as a fashion persona?

INTRO + APPROACH

I’ve been a lover of fashion for as long as I can remember. I lived for dress-down days where I could show off rather than wear my drab uniform and waited all day Fridays to get home and watch last-nights episode of Project Runway with my mom. Flash forward to freshman year at Miami, I applied to the fashion minor program so I could keep up and deepen my connection to the art. Now, as a senior I have taken all of my required courses, learned about the industry, and am actively designing, creating, and showing clothing. Being just a minor however, I have feelings of missing out on the full breadth of the program and face a form of imposter syndrome, feeling as though I cannot fully consider myself a fashion student based on my lower level of engagement. With my research and final solution, I hope to find a way to strengthen my identity as a member of the fashion community, make a plan to have an impact on the industry, and inspire others to embrace their own style identity.

METHODS

Interviews

I asked friends about their own personal style in order to understand how others approach this topic and gain insights to what solutions may help.

FREE RESPONSE

1. Where would you say you find
inspiration for your personal style?

2. Where do you usually shop?

3. What are some words you would
use to describe your personal style?

4. Would you consider your
style to be fully developed?

5. Are you happy with your style, is there anything
you would want to change about your wardrobe?

PUT TOGETHER OUTFITS FOR
THE FOLLOWING…

1. Outfit that describes your style

2. Outfit that you think is elevated/pushing the boundaries of what you would usually wear.

3. 2 Typical everyday outfits

OUTFIT BUILDING:

ALLIE PAKULSKI

01

DESCRIBES
YOUR STYLE

03

EVERYDAY
LOOK

02

ELEVATED
VERSION

04

EVERYDAY
LOOK

FINDINGS HIGHLIGHTS:

Q1

SOCIAL MEDIA:
- Instagram
- Pinterest
- TikTok

Q2

SECOND HAND:
- Thrift
- Resale
- Facebook Marketplace

SMALL RETAILERS:
- Local Boutiques

ONLINE RETAILERS:
- Amazon
- Lucy in the Sky

Q3

DESCRIPTORS:
- Coastal
- Casual
- Conservative
- Feminine
- Eclectic

Q4

LARGE RETAILERS:
- Target
- Aerie
- Lululemon
- Alo Yoga
- Gymshark
- Altr’d State

- Neutral colors
- Bold colors
- Florals
- Western
- Put together/presentable

“Sure, I think my style is very true to who I am”

“Definitely not–still trying to find staple pieces that I love to mix and match”

“No, and I don’t know if I ever really would; I think my style is ever-changing — not in a way that is focused on the trend cycle — but in a way that I’m constantly inspired by something.”

Q5

“I’m happy with it”

“I want to be confident in the pieces I am buying, knowing they fit my wardrobe well and can be paired with multiple pieces for different looks.”

“I would like to be more certain in pieces, colors, necklines, and fits that suit me best.”

Video

self-ethnography

I wanted to keep a record of what I typically wear, as well as use the documentation to push myself to be more aware of what I wear.

@maceys.fits

moodboards/

informal card sorting

I wanted to familiarize myself with key players and styles in the fashion industry and take note of what styles I enjoy, where I find inspiration.

03

My design challenge is to find a way to encourage and find ease in my own personal style development and my comfort within the fashion industry. I believe my solution would need to be very interactive, but I would prefer physical and something I can hold as those things I tend to hold on and pay attention to. This may potentially relate to establishing myself as a fashion designer as well.

Others also find a need to find staple pieces that fit both their personal style but can also be adaptable when it comes to trends.

My design style is very eccentric and over the top; wearable art. Wide range of aesthetics but overall interest in avant-garde.

key insights

01

02

opportunity for design

audience benefit

My primary audience being myself, I hope to end up feeling more confident in who I am when it comes to my personal style and what I want to contribute to the fashion world. I also hope that others will be able to use my solution to do the same or to feel inspired by it.

There is a rift between my idealistic style and what I typically wear, often based on accessibility, practicality, or mood.

DESIGN-BASED SOLUTION

In my final solution, I created and branded a clothing label that incorporates the ideals of my research findings and self discovery with my current (and future) fashion design work. Through my research, I concluded that the most effective way for myself to feel more a part of the industry and more in tune with that area of my interests was to share my work in a way that is visible and tangible to others. In my final installation, I wanted to create an in-store experience, almost like a pop-up shop but without actually tendering sales. I wanted people to feel as though they could imagine themselves picking up a piece, being able to touch it, look at the tag, see the bag they could leave the “store with”, see the posters with branded messaging and imagery, everything. I wanted to create my own little bubble of style and self-expression in the gallery.

Chaos

Theory:

“Chaos theory describes the qualities of the point at which stability moves to instability or order moves to disorder.”

— D. Straussfogel + C. von Schilling, "International Encyclopedia of Human Geography"

An interdisciplinary phenomenon of philosophy, physics, and math.

“Chaos theory states that within the apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems, there are underlying patterns, interconnection, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, fractals and self-organization.”

— Wikipedia, "Chaos Theory"