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TRANSLU-SKIN

After studying fine arts at New York University, Carol Civre felt constrained by the traditionality of classic art. This notion led her to seek a new creative method that could free her expressionism from physical limitations.

WORDS BY
CAIT MONAHAN AND SOFIA DE LA CRUZ

Technology disrupts how we portray and experience beauty, ultimately becoming very much ingrained at the core of our identities. Today, this notion is being explored by surrealist depictions of digital avatars that offer a window into our desire as humans to free ourselves from materiality. Translucent second skins are a contemporary allegory of a new human representation that seeks to be more honest and attentive to the intangible forms of living. 

As translucence becomes a mainstay material in digital art, is it inspiring new materials in physical products, too?

TABITHA SWANSON

VITÓRIA CRIBB

Eugene Leunch INJURY x REAL PARENT

INES ALPHA

INES ALPHA

ROXI BASA

In the digital world, artists like Harriet Davey and Tabitha Swanson illustrate non-binary, 3D rendered bodies dripping in translucent second skins that forsake materiality and offer a softer approach to digital textures. Similarly, Ines Alpha expresses this artistic notion of translucence – the ultimate divine form – through her futuristic e-makeup and iridescent accessories. Elsewhere, NY and Shanghai-based designer WeiRan makes experimental, crystal-like glass attire created with 3D printing technology.

When it comes to physical collections, digitally-inspired fashion is exhibited in an array of styles, from glitchcore, which highlights early web aesthetics, to hyper surrealism in the form of futuristic silhouettes. The “skins”-inspired garments showcased in Loewe's SS23 collection along with Marine Serre and Vetements’ use of pixelated prints clearly show a spiked fascination of early internet nostalgia on the catwalk in physical forms.

IMOGEN FOX

Designers are continuously testing material innovation to expand the way we experience beauty and fashion in the real world. This is taking form in inconceivable fabrics known as textures that originated in digital design that are being added to IRL collections. French brand Coperni re-imagined its Swipe shoulder bag through a hand-blown glass construction making each one a unique, delicate creation and, in its SS23 showcase, the label painted Bella Hadid with a sprayable, liquid fiber that transformed into a dress. Similarly, by mixing lifecasting, mold making and 3D printing techniques, Dutch sculpture artist Esmay Wagemans creates wearable second skins that reflect the ongoing digitalization of today's society. 

COPERNI

ESMAY WAGEMANS

ESMAY WAGEMANS

When translucent second skins are depicted digitally, artists start a dialogue on the possibilities of representing beauty in a utopian way. In the physical world, it gives room for material innovation and the ability for fluid forms to take shape. The rise of translucent second skins in Web3 has the potential to encourage us to try new materials such as glass and lifecasting to create more personalized designs. This material innovation will likely bring science, tech and fashion closer together in ways that will make future products hyper individual.

WEIRÆN

ECKHAUS LATTA

DI PETSA

DI PETSA

DI PETSA

“The artist in me says it's us projecting our hopes on how the future will look. It was always sold to us as this slick, glossy and shiny tomorrow. The 3D renderer in me says, because the human eye can still discern a digital human from a physical one, adding another layer of surrealism softens the blow.”

Serwah Attafuah

“How we depict beauty in virtual realities is influencing how we experience it in the physical world. Digital tools are inherently dependent on the physical world, yet the physical world is becoming more and more dependent on its virtual counterpart. Emerging approaches to beauty in these combined realities undoubtedly influence and change each other.”

Claudia Rafael, NEWFORMAT

“I think fashion and cosmetics are two of the industries that evolve the fastest according to trends, making the possibilities for identity pretty limitless. Traditional "aesthetically pleasing" representations of the human form are constantly shifting, making individuals more open to beauty experimentation.”

Eugene Leung, INJURY

“I think we have this narcissistic need in our society to reach perfection. We're fascinated by it, especially in the fashion and beauty industry. The translucent second skin is very representative of this notion and I think of it as an idealized version of the digitized self. It's very aesthetically pleasing, extremely mesmerizing and hypnotizing.”

Ines Alpha

“Exploring the possibilities of translucent second skins as part of experimenting with virtual makeup and beauty is a promising first step toward understanding the future of beauty and self-expression. Using technology to create digital fashion and beauty experiences, often utilizing myself as the canvas, is part of my creative process.”

Kadine James, The Immersive Kind

“The use of translucent second skins is partly for brands to position themselves as future-oriented through design and material choice, and partly because now it really matters how clothes look online, even more than how they look IRL.”

Teresa Fogolari, MORBO

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