gal hayun

Category: Apparel

Competitions: International

In this project, my inspiration came from the strong contrast between the diamond and the dirt inside the mine. On one hand, you have this cold, dusty, rough environment – and on the other, a diamond is born in the middle of it all: clean, glowing, and incredibly precious. I was drawn to that tension between the roughness and the beauty. I translated it into my design through both the shapes and the materials. I used calf and cow leather with rough textures in different shades, sculpted and climbing over the body like the metal beams and industrial structures inside the mine. The garment is made of 130 leather straps, all hand-finished and sewn onto the base of the dress. In the sleeve, you can clearly see the curves of movement and changes in height – they create a sense of motion and depth across the body. Between the straps, I hid small Swarovski crystals, revealing a hidden sparkle – just like the diamond shining from within the darkness. Through the design, I wanted to express the heaviness and chaos of the mine, the circular rhythm of the underground tunnels – but at the same time, I also wanted to show the elegance and luxury connected to the diamond. That’s where the idea came from: to take all that dirt, the workers with soil-covered faces, the raw metals – and turn it into a flattering, high-end evening dress.