The design is called sliced textile. Two layers of fabric are stacked, then slit by hand along a diamond grid. The cut triangles flip up and lift, revealing the color of the layer beneath. Cornwell explains: "Each diamond is hand cut to reveal layers of different fabrics." A black dress unveiled last month is the technique at its fullest.
The T-Shirt Dialogue series that followed brings the technique to tees. Two vintage slogan tees are joined, screen-printed for a sturdy base, quilted, then sliced by hand. A technique that carves the surface open to bring the inside out. It reads almost like taking what he hid as a teenager, living for other people's eyes, and showing it again through clothes.
The slogans are half cut away and never fully legible. The phrase DO THE RIGHT THING is obscured by the lifted triangles. That's exactly why you keep looking. The blue tee is covered with silver and gold shimmering triangles. The black dress has triangles all over the body, making the surface appear alive and moving.
If you were to wear this sliced textile, what message would you hide and reveal?
FAQ
What is sliced textile?
Sliced textile is a technique where two layers of fabric are stacked and hand-cut along a diamond grid. The cut triangular pieces fold back to reveal the color beneath. Developed by London designer Joshua Cornwell, it debuted last month in a black dress and has since been applied to his T-Shirt Dialogue series.
Who is Joshua Cornwell?
Joshua Cornwell is a London-based designer from Essex who graduated from Central Saint Martins last year. He has worked at Balenciaga and Maison Margiela and is gaining attention for his sliced textile technique. His work expresses the hidden inner self from his adolescence in a conservative environment through clothing.
How is the T-Shirt Dialogue series made?
The T-Shirt Dialogue series combines two vintage slogan tees, screen-prints a base layer, then quilts them together. The sliced textile technique is applied by hand-cutting along a diamond grid. Slogans are partially cut and not fully legible, which makes viewers look longer and more closely.
