Maria Kuptsova

APPAREL is a series of wearable objects that translate the material processes of aquatic ecosystems into forms intimately connected with the human body. These objects initiate new rituals of corporeal wearing and co-creation, where biological processes become a language for programming aesthetic experience. Complex algorithms of bio-digital design study the tectonics of marine organisms, transferring their generative principles into digital fabrication methods. Embedded within the production cycle, crystallisation processes endow each object with uniqueness, merging technological innovation with ecological sensitivity.

Crystallisation process | Microscopic studies

The morphology of the objects is informed by the rhythmic growth patterns of coral reefs. Each piece is fabricated through 3D printing using transparent recycled polymers (APPAREL.Blanc) and a seaweed-based filament (APPAREL.Vert) — materials that offer both structural integrity and a direct link to marine environments. These materials serve as a substrate for crystallisation processes inspired by the natural precipitation of salts in oceanic conditions.

The crystalline formations that emerge on the surface are not merely decorative elements but organic chronicles of fragile and unstable processes. They visualise a hidden dynamic of growth, responding to the physicochemical parameters of the environment in which they are formed.

  APPAREL.Vert

A key aspect of APPAREL lies in its personalised corporeal alignment: 3D scanning technology allows for the precise consideration of the wearer’s morphology, resulting in objects that do not simply trace the body’s contours but engage in a sculptural and sensory dialogue with it.

APPAREL functions as a ritual object, activated by occasion. Its printed structure remains constant and allows for repeated use, while the crystals regenerate anew for each act of wearing. In this way, every object becomes a unique gesture of interaction between body, environment, and time.

APPAREL.Vert | Wearable substructure 3D-printed with algae-based material

APPAREL.Blanc

Project by:
Maria Kuptsova and Korbinian Enzinger

Algae Filament:
Haoyi Chen