A Sheep in Synthetic Wolf's Clothing: Creating a Hybrid of Natural and Man-Made Materials to Combine Protection and Aesthetics in a Cold Climate.

For thousands of years, humans have experimented with methods of joining materials, not only to create objects for practical use but also to satisfy their desire for decoration and embellishment. This research project aims to combine a man-made technical textile with sheepskin (one of mankind's oldest protective clothing materials), in order to investigate the potential of creating an aesthetically pleasing garment that also offers high performance. This concept is an inversion of the recent trend for mimicking nature in textile construction. In this paper the processes explored will include the rationale for material selection, as well as construction methods such as bonding, welding and minimal seaming, together with ergonomic pattern cutting. Aspects of aesthetics will also be investigated. By combining these materials, processes and fabrications into a female-specific hybrid jacket, the intention of the research is to resolve the tension between garment aesthetics and the need for thermal regulation in a cold climate.