An experimental proposal fusing fashion, architecture, and technology Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid's EGO catwalk.
The young practice Zap&Buj works at the cross of architecture, fashion, and technology by experimenting with new materials and the digital tools that make it possible.
Graduates of the Madrid School of Architecture (UPM-ETSAM), Elena Zapico and Raquel Buj have managed to apply technical and artistic knowledge coming from the engineering branch to give shape to suits and textures that surround the body while engaging it with the environment. They uphold fashion as an expression of principles beyond aesthetics, as something that can connect people to their surroundings and situations, improving life in the process.
Through the concept of skin and envelope, the 'Growing Landscape' collection – the firm's second, presented on the EGO catwalk at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid – proposes a uniting of landscape and clothing. With tools like laser cutters and 3D printers heat is applied on shape memory materials like polymers and alloys of nickel and titanium, enabling envelopes to adapt to the contours and movements of bodies. The collection also explores elements not conventionally used in the fashion world: acetate, different kinds of silicone, filaflex, methacrylate, and even thermal insulation sheets.
