Finalist - The Design Trust's People Choice Award

This dress is entirely hand-embroidered using the soutache jewellery technique. To achieve this, Yanis had to change the initial technique from a solid piece of jewellery to a material that would behave like a fabric. The design was complex to produce, as the embroidery had to be moulded directly onto a stockman, with all the constraints that the body presents: hiding intimate parts and, above all, allowing it to be put on. The design incorporates 18th century watch mechanisms that replace the cabochons of the original technique.

The aim is to create a kind of talisman containing the memories of all the
former owners of these watches. The watch is symbolic of time, which in turn symbolises life and death. Finally, the name of The time lace dress is a play on the word timeless. When Yanis created this dress, time seemed to stand still and he was inhabited by the souls of the former owners who helped him to make it. It wasn’t until it was completely finished that Yanis realised what he’d just achieved. It took him over 1,500 hours and 3,000 metres of soutache to create it.