Aparna Sasi
Diploma in Fashion Design, Cochin
Neo Natura – JD Design Awards 2024
Aparna Sasi, Diploma student of Fashion Design Curated a collection of Neo Natura, a visionary women’s wear Pret-a-Porter for Spring/Summer 2025 which drew inspiration from the magical novel “The Secret Garden”. The new collection entails rediscovery- a future where human beings reconnect themselves with the deep beauty and strength that always was, are, and will be in the natural world against the backdrop of highly advanced technological societies. Neo Natura” was, therefore, seen as the design combination of sleek structures with fluid lines of graceful symbols created between artificial and organic. And every design comes to be catharsis, urging people to dive into the balance of future innovation and eternal nature. Florals appliqué work distinctly weaves the secret tale of the secret garden into fabric, and every piece takes on a whimsy and wonder. The very bold color palette-gossamer pink to crabapple and green-is written as a visual ode to the richness of diversity and resilience of natural secrets. Neo Natura is a story of rebirth and reverence for the land. Complex design and emotional color catalog this collection to elicit catharsis, and to put the wearer on a new journey: rediscovery and reconnecting with the natural world. There is then the interpretation of true fulfillment-that is, drawing on man-nature relationships-leads toward a brighter future where man lives in harmony with the earth.
ILLUSTRATIONS & BOARD
This collection, “Neo Natura”, drew inspiration from a timeless tale in the wonderful novel called “The Secret Garden”. It was the inspiration from that literature and availed the collection of a vision for the future: humankind, behind protective domed cities, renews an enchanting world of nature.
At its heart, “Neo Natura” is a story of discovery – a journey that escapes the frames of man’s time and space and into the sublime interlocks of man and nature. Yet within such a technologically advanced civilization, this series explores such an empowering urge towards reconnecting with a certain root-her heritage, the earth in the literal, figurative sense.
This anthology chronicles the spirit of catharsis-an intense, intuitive sense of cathartic purging and rebirth born from embracing the natural world. The novella takes off by following a group of travelers who leave their domed cities better motivated by fear than any other emotion but curiously inspired by the wonder they find there. They are to be brought into heavier transformation as they move further into the wild beauty of nature, from isolation and fear toward connection and awe.
JDDA 2024
Neo Natura” had started with an inspirational concept based on a sacred respect of the surroundings, reminding people that the utmost satisfaction was to take care of and protect this wonderful world around them. It epitomized the pervading power of nature as it inspired, healed, and transformed people in their pursuit of a harmonious human-earth coexistence towards a better future.
Indeed, the picked, taste-friendly fabric and color palette give the “Neo Natura” collection just the right amount of discovery and transformation to go along with the futuristic narrative.
The use of Tabi Silk and Nylon Organza conveys a delicate balance between nature and technology. And this textured flowing beauty of Tabi Silk has symbolic associations to the splendor and fluidity of nature-that soft sweep of blossom, that quiet dance of water. It gives the garments an otherworldly quality. On the other hand, Nylon Organza, while sheer but structured to some extent, embodies some aspects of protective barriers of futuristic societies. Nonetheless, it tends to illustrate a tension between transparency and structure between artificial and organic.
The subtleties of colors like gossamer pink, crabapple and the green jacket further expand the narrative of this collection. These vibrant colors appropriate all the things issued from and against a lively array of earthy treasures, subtly disclosing the real sense of beauty about this enchanting secret garden, and each color visualizes an ode to the extremely minimalist balance between high-tech innovations and ecological preservation.
Aparna Sasi
Diploma in Fashion Design, Cochin
www.jddesignawards.com
