Wearable Thesis 2026
Wearable Thesis is linked sequence of MFA courses—DESI 605 and DESI 621. An extended project challenged students to conceptualize and create contemporary wearables that synthesize and express themes from their MFA theses, while demonstrating mastery of innovative material processes. Students gained valuable professional experience by working closely with local artisans and makers, collaboratively realizing their unique individual works.
Special thanks, for support from the VCUarts Qatar Office of Research and Development
VCUArt Qatar (2026)
DESI 605 Design process and
ethic for business
DESI 621 Leadership&Entrepreneurship
Students:
Alice Aslem, Fariha Ahmed, Fatima Nazir, Jood Elbeshti, Selma Fejzullaj, Shawky Abdalla
Photo: Stella Colaleo
ROOTED
A Tree Rosary
by Shawky Abdalla
This project repositions design as a spiritual dialogue rather than a purely functional or commercial act. The work takes the form of a rosary crafted from ground sidra leaves and stained with plant dyes, embodying materials associated with both earthly life and descriptions of paradise. By transforming sacred botanical matter into a tactile object of devotion, the piece restores design as a mediato between the human body, the natural world, and the Divine. Through this gesture, the project proposes a return to meaning-centered making, where objects are not merely consumed but contemplated, held,
and remembered.
![]()
![]()
![]()
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE GARDEN
Ornament, Reflection, and the Afterlife of Modernism
by Selma Fejzullaj
The Garden: Ornament, Reflection, and the Afterlife of Modernism is a wearable, modular necklace inspired by the eight gates of Paradise described in Islamic tradition. Each octagonalunit represents one gate, symbolizing a spiritual passage toward beauty, harmony, and transcendence. The necklace can be expanded by adding new octagons, allowing it to grow over time like a living geometry. Made through cut metalwork, it draws on the language of ornament to express both spiritual and material reflection. As a wearable form, it bridges body and architecture, turning sacred geometry into an intimate adornment. The piece continues my exploration of ornament as a portal between form and meaning, and how beauty can embody ideas of balance, light, and the infinite.
![]()
![]()
![]()
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FLUTTER
A wearable micro-mechanism inspired by insect biomechanics
By Jood Elbeshti
By studying insects, this research proposes a different design logic—one where for and mechanism are conceived together from the start. Using the body as a testin ground, the work translates insect biomechanics into wearable pieces that activat through natural gestures. In doing so, it demonstrates how motion can be designed a part of the material and geometry itself, offering a justified alternative to the add-on mechanics that dominate contemporary design.
![]()
![]()
![]()
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DATA DIARY
Ritualizing Algorithmic Tapestry
By Fariha Ahmed
XXXXXX
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEMORIES IN THE CLOUD:
A Photonic Textile
BY Alice Aslem
XXXXX
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SOUL OD CREATIVITY
BY Fatima Nazir
XXXXX
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Tree Rosary
by Shawky Abdalla
This project repositions design as a spiritual dialogue rather than a purely functional or commercial act. The work takes the form of a rosary crafted from ground sidra leaves and stained with plant dyes, embodying materials associated with both earthly life and descriptions of paradise. By transforming sacred botanical matter into a tactile object of devotion, the piece restores design as a mediato between the human body, the natural world, and the Divine. Through this gesture, the project proposes a return to meaning-centered making, where objects are not merely consumed but contemplated, held,
and remembered.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE GARDEN
Ornament, Reflection, and the Afterlife of Modernism
by Selma Fejzullaj
The Garden: Ornament, Reflection, and the Afterlife of Modernism is a wearable, modular necklace inspired by the eight gates of Paradise described in Islamic tradition. Each octagonalunit represents one gate, symbolizing a spiritual passage toward beauty, harmony, and transcendence. The necklace can be expanded by adding new octagons, allowing it to grow over time like a living geometry. Made through cut metalwork, it draws on the language of ornament to express both spiritual and material reflection. As a wearable form, it bridges body and architecture, turning sacred geometry into an intimate adornment. The piece continues my exploration of ornament as a portal between form and meaning, and how beauty can embody ideas of balance, light, and the infinite.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FLUTTER
A wearable micro-mechanism inspired by insect biomechanics
By Jood Elbeshti
By studying insects, this research proposes a different design logic—one where for and mechanism are conceived together from the start. Using the body as a testin ground, the work translates insect biomechanics into wearable pieces that activat through natural gestures. In doing so, it demonstrates how motion can be designed a part of the material and geometry itself, offering a justified alternative to the add-on mechanics that dominate contemporary design.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DATA DIARY
Ritualizing Algorithmic Tapestry
By Fariha Ahmed
XXXXXX
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEMORIES IN THE CLOUD:
A Photonic Textile
BY Alice Aslem
XXXXX
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE SOUL OD CREATIVITY
BY Fatima Nazir
XXXXX
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------