Ohad Caspi

Category: Apparel

Competitions: International

The leather saddle-corset is the central piece of Bridle to Be: The Loss of Intimacy in the Modern Era, a collection that explores the erosion of intimacy through metaphors of taming, control, and desire. Inspired by the form of an English riding saddle, the corset transforms an object traditionally designed to control an animal into a wearable sculptural garment. Worn in reverse, it physically pulls the wearer backward, becoming an allegory for the invisible restraints imposed by contemporary life. Just as saddles and horse tack domesticate a wild animal, the corset symbolizes the psychological mechanisms through which modern individuals distance themselves from authentic intimacy. Dating applications, substance use, nightlife, and fetish culture become contemporary restraints—offering the illusion of freedom while often leading further away from genuine emotional and physical connection. The piece is constructed through traditional wet molding of vegetable-tanned leather over a custom sculpted body form, allowing the material to preserve the structural language of equestrian equipment while conforming to the human body. The leather is hand-painted using layered tones that merge the appearance of aged saddlery with contemporary finishes, reflecting how these mechanisms of control continue to evolve without disappearing. The corset is connected to the silk dress through D-ring buckles, while its open back is closed using an authentic horse bit, transforming an original element of equestrian tack into the garment's fastening system and reinforcing the dialogue between the body, restraint, and control. As the conceptual centerpiece of the collection, the corset embodies the project's central paradox: humanity's deepest longing for love and intimacy often coexists with the very mechanisms that keep it out of reach.

Category: Apparel

Competitions: International

The leather jumpsuit is part of the Anima in Animus collection, a project that investigates the transformation of traditional masculinity through historical dress, military symbolism, and contemporary identity. The garment reinterprets the fifteenth-century hose, the historical predecessor of modern trousers. Unlike contemporary pants, hose consisted of separate leg coverings that left the crotch—and often parts of the seat—open, requiring additional fastening systems or garments to complete the silhouette. Rather than reproducing this historical construction, the design translates its principles of layering, exposure, and bodily framing into a contemporary leather garment. A second point of reference is the military protective pouch, an element historically associated with function, protection, and masculine authority. By merging these two archetypes, the jumpsuit transforms a utilitarian military detail into a sculptural form that celebrates vulnerability rather than concealment. Across the chest and abdomen, the design draws inspiration from dagging, a decorative technique traditionally applied to garment hems during the fifteenth century. Its sharp geometric language is reinterpreted to construct an idealized masculine torso: angular leather panels evoke the six-pack, while the nipple is replaced by a pointed metal piercing that echoes the elongated proportions of Gothic architecture and fifteenth-century dress. Like the soaring verticality of Gothic cathedrals, these elements reinforce the collection’s language of sharpness, tension, and elevation. Constructed from lambskin leather, the jumpsuit challenges conventional masculine archetypes. Rather than functioning as armor, it reveals fragility, sensuality, and emotional openness. As part of the complete Anima in Animus look—alongside the tailored jacket, sculptural bag, and heeled footwear—it proposes a vision of masculinity that is fluid rather than fixed, where authority can coexist with tenderness, sensitivity, and vulnerability.

Category: Accessories

Competitions: International

This bag is part of Anima in Animus, a collection exploring contemporary masculinity through historical references, craftsmanship, and the dialogue between masculine and feminine identities. Within the collection, the bag reinterprets traditional masculine ideals through an object historically associated with femininity, challenging conventional expectations of power, identity, and appearance. Its sculptural form was developed through digital modeling in Nomad 3D, using a male torso as the foundation for the design. The silhouette is inspired by the inverted triangle of the idealized masculine body—a widely recognized symbol of strength, authority, and physical perfection. At the same time, this geometry recalls the inverted pink triangle, historically used to identify and persecute homosexual men during the Holocaust. The project reclaims this painful symbol, transforming it into a statement of resilience, vulnerability, and visibility while challenging conventional representations of masculinity. The bag is handcrafted from natural vegetable-tanned leather, wet-molded over the digitally sculpted torso to preserve its anatomical form. It is lined with black lambskin leather, while visible black hand stitching celebrates traditional leather craftsmanship. The handle is entirely hand sewn using the classic baseball cross stitch, emphasizing both structural durability and meticulous artisanal construction. By combining digital technology with traditional leather craftsmanship, and by translating a powerful masculine archetype into a refined handbag, the design proposes a more fluid vision of masculinity—one in which strength can coexist with vulnerability, sensitivity, elegance, and emotional openness.