Faculty of Design

Material Art & Design

Aichoucha Haidara

"WATA" Bodice

This piece is inspired by the duality of Mama Wata and it is one side of a reversible bodice. The handwoven cloth is a visual symbol of her characteristics as I drew on her personality traits and traditional colour theory to represent her.

“The Wata Bodice is an adjustable bishop sleeve top featuring a multicoloured handwoven cloth inspired by Mama Wata's persona. I made the cloth using a cotton-linen blend yarn. The white represents beauty, creation, new life, water, wealth, spirituality and feminine energy. The red embodies the death and destruction that Mama Wata can bring on as well as the heat, physicality, power and masculine energy. Lastly, the yellow stands for the wealth and riches that she can provide. This garment includes a panel on the inside to allow for more diverse size ranges.”