Architecture for the body

Safa El Samad

Illustration: Portrait of Safa El Samad by Antra Svarcs.

My design practice combines principles of fashion and architecture to explore how these fields might influence the viability and practicality of the other. I am currently undertaking a Master of Architecture at Monash Art, Design and Architecture, but my path here hasn’t necessarily been straightforward.

I’ve always been interested in art, I feel like that’s what comes naturally to me, but I wanted to pursue something that was slightly more practical. So straight out of high school, I started the Bachelor of Architecture. While studying I felt a disconnect from the tactile aspect of the design. I wanted to be able to not only design things, but be able to build those designs as well. I ended up doing a carpentry pre-apprenticeship which gave me a greater appreciation for designers.

I found fashion design to be the perfect marriage of both designing and being able to make those designs on a scale that was manageable. I went through the whole fashion design degree and then discovered that I didn’t want to be a part of the industry—I didn’t want to be supporting this concept of clothing being disposable or the need to be constantly updating your wardrobe. I feel like there is already enough clothing in the world, and I didn’t want to be a part of the problem. With architecture, you can’t dispose of a building in the same way.

My practice is now focused on projects that marry my interest in fashion – in particular textiles – and architectural design and thinking. In 2021, I was involved in a collaborative project with my good friend Majed Fayad titled Order Up, Mashriq for MPavilion. I first encountered Majed’s work in 2018 when he was exhibiting at Blindside. This was my first experience of seeing work by an Arabic artist in Melbourne, so I made a point of connecting with him and our artistic dialogue developed from there. As a second generation Lebanese Australian, seeking out people in my field who are not only like minded, but have similar backgrounds and intersectionalities, has been an integral part of my career journey. Finding community– people who support me and who I can support – is what set me on the right path.

Order Up, Mashriq took the form of a public, remote, and monumental sculpture that displays iconic sounds enveloped by the barren landscape of the Mashriq area – a particular region in the Middle East. The work included a series of uniforms featuring my embroidery, a technique that is central to my practice. I tend to think of embroidery as painting with thread.This is how the team at MPavilion became familiar with my work, and from there I was commissioned to create their 2022 uniform.

The uniform that I designed for MPavilion was a fully lined convertible apron which turned into a tote bag, reflecting my desire to make things that are practical. There’s not much space at MPavilion to store your things, so giving people options to keep them on their body was an important consideration.

Images: Courtesy Safa El Samad and MPavilion. Photography by Marie-Luise Skibbe.

The uniforms are clad in various embroidery motifs that respond to the 2022 MPavilion program themes. One design features a map of Bangkok pinpointing where all(zone)'s offices are located. This is overlaid with the longitude and latitude of the MPavilion site, suggesting that the architects are there, but they’re also here, fitting in with the program theme of ‘Under One Roof.’ Another design features a QR code which links to the program, it is a functioning QR code, but it’s embroidered.

Connecting to the theme of ‘Unseen Design’, a third design features an early sketch of the 2022 MPavilion commission designed by architect and (all)zone director, Rachaporn Choochuey. It is common across all fields of design, for audiences to see beautiful renders or the polished, final product. It is less common to see early sketches. So to fit in with that theme, it is the unseen part of the MPavilion.

I’d like to elaborate on the notion of the unseen and highlight some of the less talked about aspects of balancing postgraduate study with professional opportunities as an emerging creative. In 2022, I stretched myself thin. I had a lot of incredible opportunities fall into my lap but trying to do too much meant sacrificing the quality of my creative output as well as my mental and physical health. I didn’t participate in the end of semester exhibition because I was working tirelessly creating the 25 aprons from scratch. The machine embroidery alone consumed over 100 hours of my time! I chose to do all of this alone, when I should’ve asked someone to help. All the while I doubted my self-worth, believing that I didn’t deserve such an opportunity.

One of my teachers once told me “Don’t let perfect cancel out the good” – and she had a point. Looking back on the MPavilion uniform design process, there are things I would do differently, but it has ultimately been an invaluable learning experience. It was a real-world lesson in balancing my time between paid and unpaid commitments, managing expectations of myself and, importantly, how to ask for help when I need it. It allowed me to merge the two disciplines I am most passionate about and exposed me to new ways of thinking about fashion as architecture for the body.

Safa El Samad is a multidisciplinary artist, fashion designer and Master of Architecture student at Monash Art, Design and Architecture.