Avant-garde Fashion Design
![Vibrant clothing designs on a mannequin, part of an avant-garde fashion design line.](https://cdn.rit.edu/spotlight/2020-06/mainimage_0.jpg)
Capstone work by Jaclyn O’dell ’20 (Fine Arts Studio).
“My work is an invitation to step into an alternate reality where freedom of expression and fluidity of thought are the foundation for growth,” O’dell said. “My interest in human behavior has led me to find that we often become unknowingly trapped in our routines and habitual ways of thinking, in a state of ignorant bliss. My work is a reminder that open-mindedness and free thinking can foster limitless opportunities for transformation and transcendence.
“I focus on celebrating the female form in an unencumbered way, in hopes of encouraging confidence and reviving the power within. Using bold neon color combinations and avant-garde designs, I hope to startle the sleepwalkers awake and ignite a dormant flame within them that is galvanizing. My clothing designs are revealing and provocative, in protest of traditional thoughts about what is acceptable and 'lady-like.' My models are exposed, yet protected by fierce armor, ready to fight against the stagnant thinking and rigid ideologies that hold us back from evolving. Through my work, I hope to illustrate a glimpse of an attainable vision for the future that is free and fluid, dynamic and electric.”
![A mannequin sports revealing, avant-garde fashion designed by Jaclyn O'dell.](https://cdn.rit.edu/images/inline-images/JaclynOdell02.jpg)
![A mannequin sports a revealing outfit, part of an avant-garde fashion design line.](https://cdn.rit.edu/images/inline-images/JaclynODello05.jpg)
![A colorful hat made of combs and bedazzle items, part of an avant-garde fashion design line.](https://cdn.rit.edu/images/inline-images/JaclynODell03.jpg)
![A mannequin wears a colorful hat and outfit, part of a fashion design line.](https://cdn.rit.edu/images/inline-images/JaclynODell04.jpg)