Matic Veler

I always loved the different holiday celebrations throughout the year for instance, Christmas: carrying unique and unmistakable scents and the beautiful ornaments surrounding the tree with its sparkles and magical atmosphere. Still, after all these years, my favorite holiday. It represents nostalgic, happy times. 

The idea of being in a magical environment led me to study at the Royal College of Art, with a wish to create a garment in space. A magical space, influenced by my growing up in a concrete town, connected to the beauty of Baroque architectural ornaments. Influenced by magical, dreamy and mystic worlds.

The contrasts between the brutality of concrete, the softness of the lines of the Baroque aesthetic and the beauty of magic made me think about the contrasts between them, and how I can translate them in my creations, using different techniques and materials.

It’s all about contrasting elements: Neoprene, which we perceive as a cold and hard fabric, bonded with cashmere, to create a new luxury neoprene. The soft shapes of cut also make the neoprene more delicate and lighter. Acrylic shapes are laser cut and bonded with a heat gun, creating a fragile and soft visual effect.  This evolved into experimenting with combinations of paper with crystals, and crystals with acrylic.

The experiment: Paper installations, researching lighting, discovering different proportions and scale of designs, creating shadows, reflections of crystals. How is the dress related to the installation? Projections on installation and garment. Animation.

The result: Creating a new, mysterious world. MY WORLD.