Panopticon
Category: Apparel
Competitions: International
Philip Welp – Application Statement for Real leather stay different international design competition My name is Philip Welp, and I completed my Bachelor of Arts this year at the Institute for Experimental Apparel and Textile Design at the Berlin University of the Arts. With my graduation project Panopticon, I present a dystopian vision of the future in which power, control, and resistance are made visible through clothing. The collection portrays a divided society shaped by surveillance, technology, and uniformity, yet also by a sense of hope and transformation. The entire collection is crafted entirely from leather. A material I developed, designed, and processed by hand in various iterations during my internship at Ecco leather. This leather visually mimics the appearance of a wide range of textiles from denim and technical fabrics to velvet-like textures, while offering all the benefits of genuine leather: durability, structural integrity, high quality, and expressive surface character. The material itself becomes a central narrative and aesthetic element in my work. With support of ECCO shoes, I also developed three distinct shoe designs, which form an integral part of the collection. For each of these three models, I created a custom leather tailored to the specific shape, function, and visual identity of the shoe. Each design was realized in three variations, resulting in a total of nine unique shoe prototypes. Both the footwear designs and the corresponding material developments were conceived and executed entirely by me. Panopticon draws inspiration from iconic science fiction films such as The Matrix, Equilibrium, and V for Vendetta. The collection translates their political and aesthetic narratives into a wearable yet conceptually charged fashion system. Clothing here becomes a language, manifesting power dynamics: the Rulers appear in rigid, machinelike silhouettes with translucent leather surfaces; the People are uniformed in strict, structured forms that suppress individuality; the Riots, by contrast, use the material in a rebellious way, modular cuts and disruptive detailing suggest subversion and resistance. My work stands for a clear position: fashion is more than surface. It is a tool, a means of reflection, and a form of expression. Through the complete self-development of the leather, the intentional material aesthetics, and the expansion of my design practice into footwear, I see my project as a holistic system. Innovative, relevant, and uncompromising in its creative execution.
