Sculptural Garment Reimagines Seventeenth Century Aristocratic Attire to Examine Modern Overconsumption
COMO, CO, ITALY, July 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The A’ Design Award has announced Foam of Desire by Kaiqi Zhang as a Bronze winner in the Costume and Heritage Wear Design category. The A’ Costume Design Award is one of the highly respected recognitions within the costume design field, drawing entries from emerging designers, established fashion houses, and cultural institutions worldwide. This designation acknowledges work that demonstrates considered conceptual development alongside skilled material execution. For the costume design industry, the recognition affirms the role of garment design as a vehicle for cultural reflection and critical thought. Foam of Desire received this honor following a rigorous evaluation by an expert jury panel.
The A’ Costume and Heritage Wear Design Award holds relevance for designers, performers, and audiences who value garments capable of conveying narrative and meaning. Foam of Desire responds to ongoing conversations about consumerism, material excess, and the relationship between body and adornment. By engaging with these themes, the design contributes to a broader dialogue concerning the social responsibilities of fashion. Its experimental use of moldable materials offers practical insight for practitioners exploring volumetric and sculptural forms. The work demonstrates how traditional silhouettes can be reinterpreted to address contemporary concerns.
Inspired by Epicure Mammon from the play The Alchemist, Foam of Desire reimagines European aristocratic attire from the seventeenth century to question decadent luxury. A specially engineered moldable fabric, adhesive when wet, allows for intuitive hand sculpting of volumetric forms. Foam is laminated into the fabric and air is injected, creating irregular organic bubbles with a hybrid texture that is both translucent and semi rigid. A palette of turquoise blue clashes with sweet pink and traces of sickly yellowish green, producing an effect that is at once alluring and disquieting. The contrast between high saturation and low brightness, paired with matte and pearly finishes, guides viewers from visual seduction toward psychological reflection.
The recognition of Foam of Desire may encourage further exploration of material innovation and conceptual storytelling within costume design. For Kaiqi Zhang, the honor serves as motivation to continue investigating the expressive potential of garments across performance and interdisciplinary media. The award also highlights the value of work that bridges historical reference and contemporary critique, offering a point of reference for designers pursuing similar directions.
Interested parties may learn more about the award-winning design at the A’ Design Award website, where additional details about the work and its designer are presented. The dedicated page offers further insight into the concept, materials, and methods behind Foam of Desire.
https://competition.adesignaward.com/ada-winner-design.php?ID=178948
About Kaiqi Zhang
Kaiqi Zhang is a costume designer and visual artist from the United States of America whose work spans theatre, film, and interdisciplinary media. Her designs explore the interaction between body and space, shaping emotion and rhythm through narrative detail. Centered on theatrical costume, her creations extend to character and conceptual design, forming a visual language between reality and fantasy. Her works possess strong psychological tension and sculptural presence, blending structure, texture, and story, while also expanding into installation and visual space within contemporary performance.
About the Bronze A’ Design Award Recognition
The Bronze A’ Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a notable degree of creativity and practicality. Within the Costume and Heritage Wear Design category, evaluation considers criteria including originality in concept, innovation in materials, excellence in craftsmanship, cultural relevance, impact of color use, attention to detail, psychological impact, and aesthetic appeal. The recognition acknowledges designers whose work reflects thoughtful development and considered use of materials and technology. Designs receiving this designation are regarded as professional and innovative contributions to their field. The honor reflects an effective balance of form and function that offers meaningful improvements in quality of life.
About A’ Design Award
The A’ Costume and Heritage Wear Design Award provides a respected platform for a diverse group of entrants, including emerging fashion designers, established fashion houses, major brands, and cultural institutions, welcoming designs that range from theatrical costumes to culturally inspired attire. Entries are blind peer-reviewed and assessed against pre-established criteria by an expert jury panel comprising design professionals, industry experts, journalists, and academics. Organized since 2008 and now in its 18th year, the A’ Design Award is an international and juried design competition open to entries from all countries and across all industries. The ultimate aim of the A’ Design Award is to recognize and promote superior products and projects that advance and benefit society, driven by a philanthropic mission to help create a better world through the power of good design. Interested parties may learn more about the A’ Design Awards, explore jury members, view past laureates, and take part with their projects at the following url: https://worldgraphicdesignawards.com
Makpal Bayetova
A’ DESIGN AWARD & COMPETITION SRL
+39 031 497 2900
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