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The Arcana is a fashion concept inspired by tarot, it reimagines the cards as earthy, wearable accessories. Initially, I picked 22 artworks from The Met, the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Gallery of Art, the Wellcome Collection, and LACMA. I eventually settled on two pieces that captured what I was looking for: something colorful, fun, and reminiscent of ceramics. I wanted the designs to feel like relics from another world, which is how I imagine tarot cards. From there, I experimented with different combinations and variations before establishing a visual direction. Ended up developing 10 accessories inspired by the cards + creating a lookbook to bring the concept to life.
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My idea was to create something tarot-themed. Why? I think it's because tarot is so rich in meaning. It's a collage of concepts, in a way, and I thought it would be fun to see if I could capture at least one angle of it.
At first, I didn't limit myself at first and picked 22 artworks that felt "tarot-y" to me. I figured this was the best course of action, especially since the piece I initially liked the most was impossible to combine with others without completely taking over their style. Having options helped a lot.
Then came more combinations (admittedly, I might have exaggerated a little here), variations of the same two pieces in different proportions, and even a few chain mixes.
Reimagining the tarot cards for the lookbook was an absolute delight. Chef's kiss. 10 out of 10. I don't think my creativity could have asked for a better playground. The only mildly annoying part was trying to make everything work with the poses I'd picked beforehand. But ah, such is life :)
A little behind-the-scenes:
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What if the Old Masters designed sportswear?
While taking part in the Recraft contest, I started thinking about how to mix classical painting with modern brands. I experimented with 18thโ19th-century oil painting aesthetics and thought: why not take this idea further and create an entire sportswear brand around it?
Classic art, modern athletes, contemporary fashion. A little unexpected? Maybe. But that's what makes it fun! So, I created a sportswear brand concept that brings these two worlds together. The result is right below ๐
Recraft project: https://www.recraft.ai/project/ae17a521-566c-457e-9482-d4b94157111f
Archive references:
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Momoyogusa SS27: A 1909 Pattern Book Art-Directs a 2027 Capsule
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I trained a Recraft V4 Style on eight plates from the Cleveland Museum of Art's public-domain copy, keeping Sekka's flat colour fields, metallic accents and empty paper grounds.
Then I handed him a 2027 brief: a streetwear capsule. His winter river became a quilted puffer, his cranes climbed onto chunky trainers, his peonies bloomed on headphones, and his dancers came back in matching tracksuits.
A pattern book from 1909, working as a fashion house's design studio.
Usbong is Tagalog for "bud," the moment a flower first breaks open.
I dug into Flora de Filipinas (1877โ1883), a 19th-century botanical atlas of Philippine plants, through the Biodiversity Heritage Library and Wikimedia Commons. I turned its hand-colored plates into a fictional women's football club.
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Dapdap โ home kit
Banaba โ away kit
Caballero โ boots
Santan + gumamela โ goalkeeper gloves
Sanggumay โ match ball
Makahiya โ the supporter's scarf
Makahiya is the "shy" plant, the one that folds when you touch it. It's also covered in thorns, and that's the whole idea: these flowers aren't soft or decorative. They bite. Worn by striker Maya Flores, #29, the collection reclaims flowers as fierce, not fragile.
Bella, this is sooo cool!!!