A new Web series launches this week and it’s sure to generate attention from fashionphiles. “Beyond the Armor” is hosted by the Detroit Institute of the Arts and the Detroit Garment Guild and spotlights a Samurai Fashion Contest inspired by the museum’s exhibition Samurai: Beyond the Sword.
The Detroit Institute of the Arts describes Beyond the Sword as an exhibition that “explores the role of the military arts and the importance of Samurai engagement in the cultural, spiritual and art worlds of their time.”
With “Beyond the Armor,” 10 local fashion designers are competing to create a full outfit based on the DIA exhibition’s artwork. The 10 finalists have spent the over a month creating their designs after visiting the exhibition back in March. The entire process was filmed for the new Web series, with the first webisode debuting today. Three webisodes will be released every week documenting the creative process for each contestant. Contestants also blogged about the experience.
The viewing public will determine the winner by voting for their favorite outfit at any of the venues in Detroit, or online. The winning design will be announced at the fashion show at the Detroit Institute of the Arts on Saturday, May 17, at noon.
