Designer’s statement: My red dress is inspired by the lifeline at hospitals that patients are connected to. The lifeline symbolizes the way a patient’s heart is beating. If it is beating fast, for example, the lifeline will move faster. My dress is aimed to bring attention to women’s heart disease in order for them to take the necessary precautions and keep their hearts beating for many years to come. The lifeline motif is incorporated on the outside top and the cape/train through the manipulation of patterns on the sequin fabric. I want my dress to empower women, so they don’t have to be afraid of heart disease and decide to take control of their health. For this reason, I chose to make pants. A dress is expected, but it is also expected that women may falsely believe that heart disease is not their leading cause of death. My aim was to defy expectations by not designing a typical dress. My hope is that it inspires women to defy expectations by taking charge of their heart health.

Designer’s statement: My inspiration was to create a red dress that emulates the strength of the heart. Not only does it pump blood through the circulatory system, it carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body while returning deoxygenated blood back to the heart. It is also through the heart where we feel our emotions. When designing the dress, I wanted to create the physical parts and the emotional parts of the heart. I added piping that's sewn from the shoulders to the length of dress like the arteries and veins in the human body. The different tones of red are like blood. When it is oxygenated, the blood is bright red. I used darker shades of red such as maroon and purple to symbolize when blood is deoxygenated. Emotionally, I wanted this dress to have a rhythm and a natural flow that would articulate the heart in the female body that is exuberant of strength and beauty.

Designer’s statement: I wanted to create a dress that would empower women to “fight the fight” against heart disease. Even though I have not had anyone around me be diagnosed, I can only imagine how impactful and fearful one may feel if diagnosed with such life-threatening condition. Having that in my mind and heart, I wanted this dress to look and make women feel ready to fight fearlessly, empowered, confident, strong and beautiful.

In order to create the dress I had in mind, I took inspiration from Greek goddesses, because we relate to them as very strong, powerful, superior warrior women. In addition, I kept thinking back to a symbol I would always see on the roads of my childhood in Costa Rica. The symbol consists of a heart with a belt on it. The message behind this symbol was to take care of your life on the road by wearing a seat belt. Taking that idea, I added belts to my dress to give the same message. In this case, to bring awareness and motivate women to check on their hearts on a regular basis, because every life is valuable.

Finally, I decided to name this piece “No.1,” because in a battle there is always a side that comes out victorious and a side that gets defeated. In this case, my Greek goddess serves as a reminder to be ready to fight and come out as number 1.

Designer’s statement: With my red dress, I was inspired by the mythological image of the Phoenix and its symbolism of rebirth, strength and renewal. I wanted to translate the majesty and power of the Phoenix into my dress and subsequently to its wearer. The raw and unfinished edges in parts of the dress attempt to capture some of the raw strength of the Phoenix. Heart disease takes courage and strength to battle, and the women who do so embody strength in their own right, sharing a connection with the Phoenix.