‘M-NUS | M-NUS | PLUS+’ by Vasundhara Chopra

Thesis Abstract:

Through my thesis, I intend to challenge narrow definitions of beauty, by investigating into the existence of beauty even in the face of destruction and near-death. Beauty, has for too long, been considered a matter of subjective judgment. However, I intend to use my fashion ideas as an inspiration for empowering a positive self-image, by freeing it from the shackles of the human mind and placing it right where it belongs- in the realm of the spirit. Beauty is not something that is blemish-free; beauty is that which survives and asserts itself even in the aftermath of human brutality and neglect, making it more powerful and dynamic than ever.

The starting point of my thesis was the question of whether beauty was only skin deep? If that were so, how can one explain the aura of a resurrected survivor of an acid-attack? Beauty is confidence. Beauty is not an attribute of the body, but of the spirit. Destroyed forms everywhere, have been the starting points of my enquiry and observation. I have looked at all that would be considered ugly, or that has ‘suffered the loss of beauty’ and tried to assert its presence, its spirit and celebrate it in and through my designs. All that is at first look ugly, has the essence of beauty in it- simply because IT IS. All it needs is to be honored in the right way. Why not use fashion as the means to embrace a whole new perception? Let’s create fashion that celebrates what others would normally hide. All that is destroyed is not over. All that is destroyed need not painfully wait for its end. It has survived in spite of the ugliness of the human mind. Beauty therefore, is not, and cannot ever be an aspect of the human mind. It belongs to the realm of the spirit. My collection is a simple means to break these barriers of perception and to rise above our limited sense of beauty. Dwelling on the aesthetics of destroyed beauty, I am intent on augmenting it for more thoughtful perception.