Student's multifunctional garments on show

Lisa Holmes, flanked by sister Amy (L) and Laura Garshaw, has produced pieces that can be clothes or couch upholstery. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Wearable and multifunctional is the concept behind design student Lisa Holmes' exhibit Fully Furnished.

The exhibition, part of the work by Massey University graduating design students in the BLOW 2010 creative arts festival in Wellington, gives audiences the chance to work out how the wearable garments, made from furniture upholstery, form part of a couch.

"Clothes should be more than wearable and should be multi-functional," said Ms Holmes, 21.

While she is not sure the world is ready for her designs, she believes they have potential. "People's eyes are opened to the world where garments are no longer just clothes to be hung in a wardrobe."

The work has already been exhibited in Wellington's Civic Square, where people were encouraged to figure out how the garments fitted together. "Participants and onlookers were encouraged to consider the harmony in which garment and furniture combine," said Ms Holmes.