One thing I want to do is figure out a better way to leave less of a footprint. I am not at all interested in mass production. What I create is art.

– Alena Kalana

A high school fashion course led Alena Kalana to give fashion design a serious thought. This award winning designer’s passion has grown into a discipline of creating a “why not?” ethos. Her design principles are organic without any real structure. She sketches after the garment cut-and-sew process, which is not typical. “I don’t start with sketches. I find the fabric first. It’s the fabric that is going to dictate how it falls and moves, says Kalana.” Her unconventional textile choices and experimentation are the basis of her designs.

Art can be a mix of cross-cultural aesthetics, an appreciation and celebration of each culture. Inspired by Tibetan nomads, Kalana created Tibetan Transplant, a collection that demonstrates environmental sensitivity and shapes that take on movement and flow – a nod to the tribal nomadic existence of ecological migration that permeates their culture.  

A 45 slide presentation of striking images from a costume history study on Tibetan culture fueled this innovative project. “There are so many crazy colors, she says. I liked the idea of mixing patterns, fabrics, and layering that other designers were afraid of.” Afraid she was not.  She breathed a renewed life to deadstock materials, some typically used in home interiors, such as carpet grippers, shower curtains, richly textured upholstery, taffeta, and curtain tie-back tassels, sparking a conversation of how society can better value earth’s resources.

Her skill of draping and layering executed a body of work of multi-dimensions and sculpturally astute aesthetics, including the shoes. Note the fringe design of the shoes created for this collection were inspired by the Yak, as they are found throughout the Himalayan region.

Respectfully, Tibetan Transplant acknowledges the culture and dress of Tibetan nomads. Today’s societal norms are a distinct contrast to a nomadic way of life, which is inherently sustainable, protecting the natural environment. Protecting the environment means a continual use of its resources, as Kalana’s body of work proves. 

An example of Kalana’s design excellence is in Look #4, deadstock materials sourced from a jobber. The top is made of seven different fabrics, including rayon silk, felted wool, and pre-pleated poly, and 96 pattern pieces. The pant is made of three fabrics, upholstery, mesh overlay with sequins, and pre-pleated poly, and 36 cut pieces. To her, this ensemble is an example of movement and flow, inherent in the nomadic culture.

Kalana’s body of work spans multiple collections of timeless looks. She is an engineer of fashion, utilizing a construction technique that harmoniously blends function and aesthetic.  Her collections are viewed as statement pieces of theatrical visions, as seen on the runway of Fashion Week and art gallery exhibits. The audience is moved, evoking emotions of awe and astonishment. “It’s gratifying to create something that people want to own and to wear, but most importantly to appreciate. My hope is to create pieces that are unique now but will still have relevance in twenty years.”

Congratulations Alena Kalana! Continue to create art with your bold designs. I wish you continued success.

Exhibitions:

• Selected work of Alena Kalana’s Tibetan Transplant was exhibited – Blurred Boundaries: Fashion as an Art; 21 September – 11 November, 2018, In the Annex of GraySpace Gallery, Santa Barbara, California.
• Selected work from Tibetan Transplant exhibited in “CLOTH, Construct, CULTURE: fashion builds a story”, 24 October 2023 – 24 January 2024, Parallax Art Center, Portland, OR.

For more information @alenakalana

Credits:

• All images: Tibetan Transplant collection, 2016
• Feature photo: Look #2 Hooded Cape – long back, high front; Cape: deadstock upholstery, inverted pleat – stretched taffeta, over 100 tassels hand sewn the length of inverted pleat, contrasting paisley print, acetate lining.
• Photos: Natasha Hayes @myinfiniteadventure; Stylist: Liese Victoria @bellablankxo; Models: Carla @carla.e.n.; Stephanie @sdelossantos; Agency: Portfolio INTL Modeling Agency; Hair Stylist: Megan @hellahotroots; MUA: Sandra @lilacbat; Location: Santa Fe Depot, San Diego, CA

Updated: 13 June 2023
Originally Published: 03 September 2018