THESIS | Collection

CLAUDIA DOROSHENKO’S COLLECTION IS A FICTIONAL STORY OF A UKRAINIAN FASHION DESIGNER WHO IS INVITED IN 1954 BY PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN FOR A LECTURE ABOUT HER WORK IN SOVIET UKRAINE. HER REQUEST TO TRAVEL TO NEW YORK IS TURNED DOWN BY THE KHRUSHCHEV GOVERNMENT, BUT HER TRUNK WITH GARMENTS AND LECTURE MATERIALS ARRIVES IN NEW YORK. DOROSHENKO USES THIS NARRATIVE TO CREATE A COMPELLING STORY FOR HER COLLECTION WITH ALL THE ACCOUTERMENTS RELATED TO A FILM, WITHOUT AN ACTUAL FILM.

LIKE A FILM DIRECTOR, CLAUDIA DOROSHENKO COMPOSES HER GARMENTS CAREFULLY TO CREATE A COMPELLING NARRATIVE OF TWO CHAPTERS — 1927 AND 1954. AT FIRST GLANCE, HER WORKS SEEM TO BE COMPOSED OF DECISIVE MOMENTS IN A LARGER COMPLEX NARRATIVE, CAPTURED AND FROZEN, BUT THE SURROUNDING STORY CARRIES THE STORIES FORWARD. BY FABRICATING AND STAGING HER OWN REALITY IN A SINGLE COLLECTION, DOROSHENKO TAKES COMPLETE CONTROL, CONTRASTING BANAL SITUATIONS AND A SUBLIMINAL WORLD OF CONFLICTS.

THE GARMENT DESIGNS ARE CREATED THROUGH THE LENS OF SOVIET MONTAGE FILM THEORY, AND ARE ALSO INSPIRED BY PHILOSOPHICAL READINGS SURROUNDING THE TOPICS OF ART, FASHION, AND HISTORY. THERE IS ONE NEUTRAL ITERATION AND ONE COLOR-BLOCKED ITERATION FOR EVERY LOOK, DEPICTING THE PIECED-TOGETHER NATURE OF MONTAGE FILMS.