First revised article. Headwear.

Emerging Kiwi Fashion Artist Makes Headway.

Electrifying and provocative are two words that easily describe the emotion of fashion designer N White’s latest headwear range - interestingly titled Chengdu. Bold angles, conflicting materials and contrasting colours were seamlessly entwined to create grand head accessories that exude power and grace.

The collection by the 28-year-old Wellington based designer has raised eyebrows locally. The provocative collection stabs a knife through the heart of local politicians who recently proposed the Privacy Bill 2040 amendment that essentially abolished any form of electronic privacy. N White publically spoke out against the amendment stating the changes were “morbidly invasive… any form of personal privacy we had left, has now been abolished”.

Designing the collection, N White collaborated with Auckland based Biologist Mark Schelwitz who developed the water-absorbing polymer fabric N White utilized in creating the pieces. During the interview N White discussed the importance of the fabric and its use in the headpieces. “The fabric absorbs water and retains the water for an extended period of time, water amazingly is a natural material that absorbs radio waves. We also used other materials such as hydrogel and water-based polymer 2060, combining water with materials that hold special reflective properties that when structured together, can shield the brain from external penetration”.

The headpieces surround the front-left lobe, containing the human antennae. Once wet - radio waves are reflected and absorbed logging you off from The Network and protecting you’re personal privacy from unwanted surveillance.

“My aesthetic has always been dark and provocative, but never political. I felt so moved to take action against this bill, I feel as a society we are so immersed in technology and electronic communication that we will eventually lose the ability to have an oral discussion” N White explains.

“Initially I thought of a creating a garment made from a metal based mesh, looking something like a stealth aircraft”.

Currently the headpieces are in what is described as “beta stage”. So far three garments have been created, each one an evolution of the other. The final version is almost fully functional and the focus now is on improving the current design.

“I want to explore other avenues for achieving the same goal, but currently the focus is on finishing the headwear range” N White explains.

N White pokes fun at Wellington weather “The focus of the headpieces was not just the privacy issue, the main underlying problem was to try to get people to connect on a physical level once again. Wellington was a great example because of the terrible weather! People can put on the headpieces and run outside, embrace the wind and rain, shut off from The Network and learn to love everything that is natural again”.