‘THE FEMININE EDITION’ by Simran Herani

Thesis Abstract:

I propose the concept of feminine minimalism, where minimalism is viewed through the lens of the contemporary feminine feminist. To me, power is attained by keeping things crisp and precise, with no room for the unnecessary. A woman need not be a wall flower to be feminine; the feminine can be powerful, unapologetically delicate and with elegant restraint.

I combine the notion of femininity with minimalism, where thought finds its form in the simple elegance of an impeccable fit. In society, we lazily attribute the love of extravagance to the feminine. We tend to view women, in a limited sense…we see them as ‘wallflowers’, as whimsical, as the objects of our fantasy and if they don’t fit that mold, we tend to swing in the complete opposite direction and dress them up like men. Why should feminism mean the loss of femininity? Why can’t she be fragile, delicate without that meaning that she is somehow subservient to or weaker than the tough male? The delicate, the feminine has its own unique power. The slender form, the curved lines, the smooth skin…all of these come together in my collection- that attempts to bring forth the powerful essence of today’s feminine feminist. The whole idea is to strip the object to its core, but not completely remove the appearance of composition. So even if the construction is incredibly complex, the final works look deceivingly simple.