Andreas Caballero

The Carhartt Sponsored Studio was a team based project, and it took place during my first semester of my third year. I worked with 2 other designers and 2 color, material, and finish design graduate students to create our story of rework. Recycling Carhartt garments to create a reworked pair of fashion pieces, I had a focus on the water and safety. I made an adjustable water resistant backpack suited for quick use and mesh pockets made from old shorts, to hold fish hooks, and weights. The bags could be removed so the wearer could have the decision to wear one, the other, or both. To match, I designed a life jacket of style, illumination, and safety. This created a fun item with the concept material of optical fiber. It will glow when it touches the water. My project will be featured in the Pitti Immagine Uomo in the summer of 2023.

For my sophomore collection class, I decided to take a thriving fashion house, Chanel, and try to match their style to make a menswear accessories collection. My designs display story, craftsmanship, classic luxury, and function. I was tasked to make 5 pieces and they were: a duffel bag, pair of oxfords, scarf tie, sunglasses case, and a watch roll. For this collection I had a vision of classic luxury, to learn what it really means to create a premium gooI compared my standards to one of the most luxurious fashion houses in order to present this premium bag.

An adventure took place in Tuscany, Italy where I attended a study abroad experience to learn the amazing history of vegetable tan leather. The environment and culture of Tuscany felt so warm, it influenced me to remember my heritage with the Bundle of Burnt Roses. I look back on my hispanic culture to study Dia de Los Muertos, and to transition it into handmade leather goods. I was challenged to manipulate the leather, and I looked at the aspect of fire. I found a new way to manipulate the material was to char and burn the pieces. It slightly removed some, but added some extra structure and strength. To me, this was a direct correlation to the transformation of the soul, in my view during the day of the dead. The roses represented the beauty of life, while the fire torching the beauty was a mirror to the mistakes we make, and to the effects that hurt us deeply. It takes away from the body, but restores it by strengthening it\'s spirit.

The Sidecar Travel Bag was meant to push innovation and function to make an impressive bag that can act like a luggage. This 3 piece bag has 2 side bags and 1 main thin tote bag. They interlock through the middle holes using square rings and snaps to support each other bag, so that the bags can connect into one evenly weight distributed bag. With versatility at the forefront of my design, I wanted to give the bag a unique function. To amplify the story, I attributed the bag to my experience of traveling from home and college. The blue leather emulates a pool, something I personally relate to with the feeling of home. For this project I explored many areas of what a modern day product could have, creating a detailed tech-pack and a 3D model with renderings.

This project was based on my first shoemaking class, I had to undergo an in-depth creation of shoe patterns from scratch. I learned all the skills to create a show with any foot-shape with any size. I showcase the various patterns I developed, along with an upper that I lasted based off of my patterns. The inspiration was from soccer cleats using the speed of a snake. Along with this inspiration I used a classic derby and reformed it completely to create something fresh.

I spent my freshman year in college honing my making skills, so I decided to make items for friends and family. The Crimson Toiletry Bag was for my sister. I focused my time on every stitch and made sure that the binding was evenly distributed on both sides. I made a decision to place the zipper a little off from the center, this was to give the bag some character.