Capstone project - nourish
Completed for ARTGT4550 Design Degree Project in Fall 2024. Inspired by her time working as a mental health counselor at Walden Behavioral Care, Adrianna designed and sewed a pair of pants intended to aide patients going through eating disorder recovery for her senior design Capstone. This project allowed her to combine her expertise in neuroscience with her passion for sustainable fashion design. The assignment was to develop an actionable design proposal and complete a polished project using appropriate design methods, serving as a culmination to the undergraduate design program. The three deliverables produced were the pants, a logo & business card design, and a website prototype. This project was featured in the Northeastern Spring 2025 Senior Art Show.
The pants
Created entirely from secondhand materials sourced from Make & Mend craft store in Cambridge, MA, these pants were designed to support eating disorder recovery. During her time working as a counselor in the psych ward, Adrianna noticed a need for patients to have fashionable clothing that fit them, while still adhering to psych ward standards. In psychiatric wards, any garment with strings or straps is not allowed, as a long strip of fabric can be a safety risk (asphyxiation).
To meet these requirements, Adrianna designed the pants using using buttons and built-in button holes to create a modular waistband that expands or contracts up to 12 inches. The length of the pants is also adjustable by 6 inches, using the same button technology. The cotton-linen blend fabric combined with the modular nature of the pants provides patients with a structured and customizable silhouette, which actively combats body-dysmorphia. Following her passion for sustainable design, these pants are intended to last the buyer a lifetime through the adjustable fit, quality materials, and stylish design.
logo & Business Card Design
After designing and sewing the pants, Adrianna created a brand identity for a clothing company focused on mental health recovery and sustainability. She came up with the brand name "Nourish," which serves as a double entendre for physically nourishing the body and metaphorically nourishing the mind. The logo design features a heart with an "N" stitched on, connecting the brand name to the heart-shaped buttons used on the legs of the pants. After creating a cohesive color palette, Adrianna designed branded business cards with the company slogan, "Clothing that Cares." Following the modular nature of the pants' waistband, the business card is designed to fold on the dotted line, connecting the two halves of the heart logo.
Website Design
Once the brand identity had been established, Adrianna designed a prototype website for Nourish. The home page features pictures of many different people wearing the pants - all with different body shapes and dimensions. The pants are intended to fit the customer through all stages of recovery, so these images demonstrate the versatility and long-lasting nature of the pants. The about page details Adrianna's personal connection to eating disorder recovery, where the inspiration for the brand came from, and why sustainability is such an important aspect to Nourish.
