Receiver of Fashion Council Award, Honorable Mention
Bio
Originally from Colombia, Gabriela constantly looks to her home country for inspiration – the people and various crafts and professions they develop. Living in the United States as a foreigner, Gabriela has had the opportunity to zoom out and see her home country, its history and its people from different perspectives. Her pieces serve as story-telling artifacts that narrate different tales when they interact with the body. During her time at SAIC, Gabriela has been interested in a variety of subjects, were she has been able to strengthen her tactile relationship with fabric and performance. This has enabled her tor to expand her views of the body and what surrounds it. These interests constantly feed and influence her fashion design practice. Gabriela she has been an intern for Katrin Schnabl in Chicago and Laura Laurens in Bogota, Colombia.
“2907.8 Miles”
Collection Inspiration | Artist Statement
In my work, I explore the infinite relationships the body has with clothing. I often find inspiration in performance and the body in motion. My collection is a recanting of the internal displacement that took place in Colombia, and how people were forced migrate in search of safety, leaving behind what was familiar as they adapted to new ways of life. The things we transform, and those that transform us. The things we take, and those we must leave behind. The things that are forgotten, and the ones we cherish and take care of. Artisans had to leave their craft and adapt to a new way of life in urban areas. I examine how emerging social movements occurring in the country help to build the landscape of a multilayered city. I explore the processes involved in traditional craft, and how they function as a metaphor for the widespread displacement of people.
PHOTO Grace DuVal & Julian Spring MODEL/S Natalie Bryant, Factor | Chosen Model Management MAKEUP Nicole Rizzo & Rebecca Oxley