Every other year the IIDA (International Interior Design Association) Indiana Chapter holds their Avant Garb Fashion Show in Indianapolis, but this is not any ordinary fashion show. Teams for the event are made up of partnerships between manufacturers and either one company or employees from multiple companies in both Fort Wayne and Indianapolis. Each team of six or less members have the goal to create a fashion garment using their manufacturers’ unique and upcycled materials, which means that there are outfits constructed out of anything from rubber base to wallcovering.

The challenge doesn’t stop there.

Each Fashion Show has a different theme to give the teams’ creativity a starting point. This year’s theme was “Modern Masters”. At the Fashion Show’s Launch Party in November, each team was given an artist or architect that had to be represented in their outfit. From the launch party to the big event, teams had a little over three months to complete their masterpiece.

Now that I have covered a little bit about the show and this event, you might ask yourself how team ASID had a part in this event? Well, we were given an artist, Pierre Auguste Renoir, and were asked to create a garment out of Daltile’s materials.  

Founded in 1947 in Dallas, Texas, Daltile boasts a rich history brought to life through the manufacture of ceramics, mosaics, porcelain, quarry tile and a variety of stone products.  Today, as a subsidiary of Mohawk Industries, Daltile is the largest ceramic tile manufacturer in the U.S. and one of the largest tile manufacturers in the world, employing over 10,000 associates.

Our team looked at all the characteristics of Renoir and his paintings. His use of broken brushstrokes as well as gradient shades of blues, greens, and oranges was seen throughout our garment! 

Our concept statement was:

“Inspired by Renoir’s use of broken brush strokes to convey dappled light and shadow, his use of graphic black and white stripes, and his frequent use of French Blue, we constructed a dress with tiles, net tile backing, and waterproof sheeting all from Daltile to evoke Renoir’s Impressionist style.”

Oh!! And we had the help of the cutest dog named, Brody 🙂

Here are some of the images from the start to the end result of this fun project: