The story of a journey of self-acceptance through the trasformazioni of pain into awareness, celebrating the courage to be vulnerable.
Act Otherwise
Thesis project by Flavia Chessa, Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Design
Academic year
2024-25
Act Otherwise is a no-season, co-ed collection that aims to celebrate vulnerability as a form of strength, transforming fashion and materials into a political act of rebirth and personal affirmation.
Flavia Chessa’s thesis project stems from an exploration of the psychological suffering tied to marginalization and social judgment. The collection narrates a journey of self-acceptance through the transformation of pain into awareness, celebrating the courage to appear vulnerable.
Materials, colors, and techniques — such as hand-applied coatings, iron-on military patches, oversized pockets, and metal zippers inspired partly by military aesthetics — serve as the expressive code of an urban generation that rejects stereotypes and conformity and seeks to convey a message of resistance and self-assertion.
The collection’s aesthetic weaves together grunge, hip-hop, and military influences reinterpreted in a contemporary key.
Denim, gabardine, faux fur, cotton, massaua, nylon, and faux leather were selected to balance aesthetics and functionality. Techniques such as fading, coating, and resin emphasize the idea of wear, resilience, and transformation, creating garments that tell stories of strength and personal affirmation.
Project by Flavia Chessa
Supervisor Franco Erre
Bachelor’s Degree in Fashion Design
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