Layers of Knowledge: an Interpretation of Parama–Jnana–Patra in Contemporary Fashion Creation

Abstract

Fashion is not merely a functional form of clothing but can also serve as a visual medium for communicating ideas, values, and knowledge through form, material, color, and construction. This article discusses the creation of contemporary fashion through the concept of Layers of Knowledge, developed as an interpretation of Parama–Jnana–Patra. In this creative process, Parama–Jnana–Patra is positioned as the conceptual point of departure, while Layers of Knowledge is used to understand knowledge as something formed through layers of experience, inherited values, tradition, and continuous processes of interpretation. The concept is translated into a visual fashion language through layering, vertical and geometric lines, divisions of planes, black-and-white contrasts, and the use of Palembang songket as a material element that introduces traces of tradition into contemporary construction. The creative process employs a qualitative descriptive method with an aesthetic approach and Alma M. Hawkins’ creative method, consisting of exploration, improvisation, and forming. The exploration stage involves conceptual mapping and the development of visual keywords; improvisation includes moodboard development and experimentation with sketches, color, materials, and construction; while forming focuses on refining and realizing the selected designs. The resulting works consist of women’s and men’s fashion that articulate flowing and structured characteristics within a unified visual concept. Through Layers of Knowledge, fashion is positioned as a material medium in which knowledge, tradition, interpretation, and the body interact.