Entfaltung collapsible fashion
by Jule Waibel

Royal College of Art graduate Jule Waibel has designed a series of folded paper clothes and accessories including a dress that adjusts and expands as you move and a concertinaed handbag (+ movie).

Transforming simple sheet materials into three-dimensional objects, Waibel’s project, called Entfaltung (unfold/expand/develop), features a yellow dress that changes its shape according to the movement of the body, a green expandable bag and an orange-coloured umbrella.

“Collapsible structures reflect how our world is constantly changing,” says designer Julie Waibel. “This project celebrates the beauty found between geometry, transformation and play.”

Waibel told Dezeen how she spent months folding and pleating different materials, such as shower curtains, leather and polymers.

The final structures are made from Tyvek, a lightweight, waterproof and tear-proof synthetic paper. The coloured gradient is printed on to the paper before it is folded.

“I got inspired by Mary Poppins and her magical handbag,” Waibel told Dezeen. “Everything seems to fit inside: a mirror, a hatstand, a plant and more.”

Waibel completed the project whilst studying on Platform 18 of the Royal College of Art’s Design Products course, led by Sarah van Gameren and Philippe Malouin. She presented it at Show RCA 2013 last month.

Here’s a video from Waibel showing her making the structures:

Other graduate projects that have caught our attention this year include a workstation with an integrated pulley system by Micaela Nardella and a series of adornments designed for introverts by Lilian Hipolyte Mushi.

See our coverage of graduate shows 2013 »
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