A womenswear collection that draws on personal experience of disability to explore the body through bold silhouettes, sculptural volumes and experimental tailoring, presenting vulnerability as an essential part of the human experience.
Golden-Har
Thesis Project by S. Arci - Undergraduate course in Fashion Design - IED Roma
Academic year
2025/2026
With Golden-Har, a womenswear collection comprising 16 looks, Sofia Arci draws on her personal experience of Goldenhar syndrome, a rare congenital condition, to explore the body, identity and society's perceptions of disability. Through fashion, she challenges conventional ideals of the body and the distinction between normality and difference, examining fragility and vulnerability as experiences shared by all human beings.
Her research takes shape through an exploration of proportions, silhouettes and garment construction techniques. Exaggerated volumes, asymmetry, structured shoulders and oversized collars define the collection, alongside contrasts between lightweight, sheer fabrics and more rigid materials such as PVC and metal. Sofia experiments with corsetry, padding, boning, draping and three-dimensional detailing, creating garments in which construction techniques play a key role in shaping the collection's visual identity.
Fashion photography is also central to the project, with a photoshoot set in a medical environment that visually connects the collection to Sofia's personal experience and the themes explored in her thesis. The images highlight the shapes, materials and details of the garments, placing them within a visual setting that helps communicate the relationship between the body, identity and the representation of disability.
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