Overall, the purpose of the exhibition was to pair designer garments alongside military, functional, and utilitarian outfits. This was done because these types of garments have dominated menswear design as a source of inspiration throughout time. Some of the original garments subverted the original inspiration, while others replicated the sources. The original meaning and function has been lost from iteration to iteration. In the pamphlet, this approach to menswear design is described as almost, “fetishistic”.
I found this exhibition very enlightening because there is a stark contrast between menswear and womenswear when it comes to functionality. All of the garments had a “purpose” some of which included (but were not limited to):
- protection from heat
- protection from cold
- protection from biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological sources
- protection from animals
- protection from human beings
- camouflage
- protection from water
- protection from electricity
- protection from being stabbed or shot or tazed
- functional carrying of objects on the body
- disguising the face
In contrast, meany womenswear garments don’t even have pockets!
I started to think about how utilitarian or functional garments might be different if they were created for a modern woman’s needs. Some of these needs may include:
- wanting to be hands free
- wanting to blend in/stand out
- wanting to have “eyes in the back of your head” so you can watch and protect yourself more easily
- maybe having a weapon for self defense built in
- having a better range of motion
- more comfortable shoes
Fire Suit 
Ghillie Suit (2016) 
Weather Protection 
Taser Training Suit 
- capes – synonymous with the ideas of concealment, disguise, and invisibility; acts as a garment that hides the body; has made a resurgence recently because the garment is genderless
- Overalls – cover up what is worn underneath allowing the user to hide identity; functional use to protect clothes; used in many professions that are considered “mens work”
- Black Jacket – subtle differences that are almost undetectable to the untrained eye; respectability and formality
- Camouflage – making objects hard to see (crypsis) or disguising them as something else (mimesis); motion dazzle confuses the observer with a striking pattern making the object harder to locate; Disruptive Pattern Material (DPM)
- Armour – status of protection and bravery
- Urban Protection– Moreno Ferrari/ how to make daily life better for “modern men”
Samantha's RCA Process 