NICOLE IZQUIERDO
Handbag & Footwear Designer
nim designs
Headphones are extremely encouraged. Film and Photography by Joaquín Böhmer.
Composition by Josh Levin. Sound Design by Rafael Castaño Marín.
It all began with my childhood visits to Mosquito bioluminescent Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Being surrounded by such beauty under dark, starry nights with glowing waves and creatures swimming around me has inspired me to create a concept based on these experiences.
This concept is about how bioluminescence lives in the deepest part of the ocean, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. It is one of the most extreme habitats on Earth that houses a diverse number of species found nowhere else on the planet, the majority still remaining unknown.
Many being bioluminescent, it's incredible to know that with the hard environmental conditions these creatures live in they can still reproduce and survive. It is cold, dark, quiet and the pressure is extremely high.
Living lights in the ocean are beautiful, mysterious, useful to humans, and absolutely essential to the animals that possess them.
70%
OF THE EARTH IS
THE OCEAN
95%
OF THE OCEAN
IS UNKNOWN
91%
OF THE SPECIES HAVE YET TO BE CLASSIFIED
mood board
To create the illusion of bioluminescence, all products have a transformative element where they are different when seen in regular lighting vs. blacklight, where the fabric and SWAROVSKI glow.
VR SKETCHING & RENDERING
All products were sketched and rendered in Gravity Sketch using a VR Headset. This gave a better understanding of how the products would like three-dimensionally.
materials
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The base material for all products is flexible 3D printing filament. This TPU filament was printed in an unconventional way; flat sheets of material were printed to substitute most of leather and fabric pieces.
This is an example of the printed fabric file with fluorescent blacklight reactive ink. The images are close-ups of the creatures for a more abstract approach.
This collection was sponsored by SWAROVSKI. These crystals were added to all products and some are blacklight reactive.
Cyerce bag & heel
Construction steps for
cyerce handbag
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Inspiration
step 1
Print pattern on fabric with fluorescent inks (blacklight reactive).
step 3
Sketch & render in Gravity Sketch using a Virtual Reality headset.
step 2
steps
4 & 5
3D print organic sheets with flexible filament. Then wrap pieces with printed fabric and black mesh.
Add beads.
step 6
Assemble all 3D pieces to front leather pannel.
step 7
Final assembly of front, back, gusset and handle.
step 8
Images of final products with regular lighting and blacklight. Specification sheet for Cyerce heel is included.
JEwel eyed heel & bag
Construction steps for
Jewel eyed heel
Inspiration
step 1
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step 2
Sketch on paper to brainstorm design.
step 3
VR Renders for testing materials, colors and overall 3D design.
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step 6
3D printed tentacle sheets
step 5
Poly Satin manipulation with Japanese technique called Shibori.
step 7
Fabric + Shibori + 3D Prints
step 4
Printed fabric with fluorescent inks (blacklight reactive).
Images of final products with regular lighting and blacklight. Specification sheet for Jewel Eyed Drawstring is included.
echo heels & Tote
step 1
Sketch on paper to brainstorm design & transformative elements.
step 3
Heel and platform made out of cork as a test.
step 2
Quickly render on Gravity Sketch with a Virtual Reality headset.
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step 4
Final heels made out of EVA foam with wood inset for structure and stability. Then wrapped with leather.
step 5
Pieces are cut out of 3 materials: black cow leather for the lining, for upper polyester satin with a polyester voile overlay for a transparency effect. Both fabrics were printed with fluorescent inks. (Blacklight reactive).
step 6
All pieces were sewn, lasted and heels were drilled.
Images of final products with regular lighting and blacklight. Specification sheet for Echo Tote is included.