PELAGIC FORMS is an experimental fashion collection inspired by Ernst Haeckel's public-domain scientific illustrations from Kunstformen der Natur (1899–1904). I used these archival works to build a custom Recraft V4 Style, translating intricate marine anatomy, organic patterns, and historical color palettes into contemporary couture, streetwear, and accessories. Through detailed product design and creative direction, I developed a cohesive collection and brought it to life through photorealistic editorial campaigns, unconventional styling, and expressive fashion photography. The project explores how forgotten visual archives can inspire an entirely new fashion identity.

Haeckel's sea forms as fashion work really well. Great series.

In the Wellcome Collection I found a little-known set of trade portraits painted around 1840 by an unnamed artist from Tanjore, in present-day Tamil Nadu. Each plate shows a working man and “his wife” on a flat yellow ground under a cloudy sky, with long brushy shadows and a line of palms on the horizon. I built a Recraft Style from these plates and sent the same painter to record eight professions of Madras in 2026: an EV cab driver, a cardiologist, an architect, a grooming-studio owner, a millet-café founder, fashion designers, pastry chefs and laundry founders. The poses and staging echo the originals, but the roles have moved on... Three are shown here; the full series of eight is in the Recraft project, and the video brings all of them to life to a mridangam score.

Same trades two centuries later is a strong idea, and the yellow ground carries over really nicely.