fi nd it so interesting that I have been around something all my life and yet I only know so much about it. I have been in a relationship with fabric for 22 years now and it is only re-cently that I have acknowledged it as a person. The way we move, the way we act, the way we perceive ourselves and others, It follows all the qualities we have and some even better. Now, presenting the idea of a personifi ed fabric isn't the most convincing argument, but in trying to understand my thoughts and apprehensions of this material it seems to be the only way I can describe how I look at fabrics. I fi nd fabric as a valid material to describe ideas in a rather sophisticated and con-scise system. I intend to provoke thought and emotion through narratives, which portray practical juxtapositions of the extraordinary.

-Ryan Boynton

I

I've started at the point to where I broke everything down and considered my options for bringing a realistic point of view to something that is completely conceptual. I found myself getting extremely interested in blind people. I would often think how I could never do what they do, everything that is normal for us is a struggle for them and I find that most of the people I interact with on a daily basis take their vision for granted. So I started to wonder about a person with no vision, what do their daily activities consist of and how do they perform them. There are a number of solutions to all of the common things they struggle with, but what was one thing we all had that they didn't? If your like me you have visual dreams, whether you are aware of it or

not, you have a dream every night.

So, what do blind people dream of then? Can they actually see physical objects in their dreams with an array of colors? The answer is no... in some cases. The men or women that were born blind never have any visual imagery in their dreams, they tend to have auditory dreams including other senses such as touch, taste, and smell. The men or women who weren't born blind often have dreams that consist of very little visual imagery mixed with auditory and so on. I thought this was interesting, they have never seen what garments look like, but they wear them all of their lives. They touch them and feel their textures, they know how they're formed, they can smell them, they can hear them when their walking, and when they nervously bite on them they get a slightly bland taste in their mouth from the fabric. I would say in many ways they are more aware of what they are wearing than we are. We often look at it as an image or form, and

maybe a comfort level, but never do we consider its qualities on such a high level.

Those who are not visually impaired tend to distort reality in the visual world that exists in their dreams. Those who are visually impaired tend to distort the physical world within their dreams. This is how I want people to interact with the clothing I have prepared for this collection. I need people to understand that the experience is not meant to be purely visual. The garments are meant to be touched and experienced with a more physical sense of awareness. What I am trying to display is a method of design thinking, how form and materials ultimately

interact with its user.

The following contains images from past collections as well as garments that are being featured in my new collection "What do blind people dream of?" which are based on interpreting

dreams of the blind

Index

Sketchbook.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Sketchbook.Autumn/Winter 2008-2009. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Marking and Cutting the fabrics.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"Reborn" Model: Grace Chang.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Ryan Boynton constructing tialored shirt..Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Melanie Abrantes

Ink Printing/application process.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"what do blind people dream of?"Womens Tailored Jacket: 100% wool with cotton/rayon liningSpring 2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

360 degree rotationWomens Tailored Jacket: 100% wool with cotton/rayon liningSpring 2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Deconstructed Gentlemen's Vest: black and ivory corduroyAutumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"Cold Steel" (Los Angeles, CA)Deconstructed Gentlemen's Vest: black and ivory corduroyAutumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Index

"what do blind people dream of?"Womens Tailored Jacket: Clear plastic vinyl with cotton/rayon liningSpring 2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

360 degree rotationWomens Tailored Jacket: 100% wool with cotton/rayon liningSpring 2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"what do blind people dream of?"100% cotton t-shirt with print on insideSpring 2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton / Branding by: William Cheng

"what do blind people dream of?"100% cotton t-shirt with print on insideSpring 2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton / Branding by: William Cheng

"what do blind people dream of?"100% cotton t-shirt dress with print.Spring 2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton / Model: Stephanie Hannon

"what do blind people dream of?"100% cotton t-shirt dress with print.Spring 2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton / Model: Stephanie Hannon

Index

Striped shirt: white and skin tone jersey.Autumn/Winter 2008-2009. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"Stretched" (Los Angeles, CA / model: Yang Kyung Kim)Striped shirt: white and skin tone jersey.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Donor Bag: black perforated vinyl and 100% cottonSpring/Summer 2008-2009. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"Urban Closet" (Los Angeles, CA)Fall/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Faceted Dress: grey jersey, muslin, and interfacingSpring/Summer 2008-2009. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"Camofl auge" (Los Angeles, CA / model: Yoonah Bae)Faceted Dress: grey jersey, muslin, and interfacingSpring/Summer 2008-2009. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"Cold Steel" (Los Angeles, CA)Asymmetrical overcoat: black felt.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Asymmetrical overcoat: black felt.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"What do blind people dream of?" (Los Angeles, CA / model: Anthony Garcia)Tailored shirt: 100% cotton with black plastisolAutumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"What do blind people dream of?"Tailored shirt: 100% cotton with black plastisolAutumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Tailored shirt with reveal: muslin and seersucker.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"What do blind people dream of?" (Los Angeles, CA / model: William Cheng)Tailored shirt with reveal: muslin and seersucker."What do blind people dream of?" vintage tie with black plastisol.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Black cape and +black vintage men's jacket with wire: 100% cotton.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"Skydive" (Los Angeles, CA / model: Yoonah Bae)Black cape and +black vintage men's jacket with wire: 100% cotton.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"Digital Jacket" (Los Angeles, CA / model: Garrett Tonon)Grey vintage men's jacket with zip down lapel: 100% cotton.Autumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Grey vintage men's jacket with zip down lapel: 100% cotton.Autumn/Winter 2008-2009. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Index

Tailored shirt pattern: pattern paperAutumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

"What do blind people dream of?"Tailored shirt: 100% cotton with black plastisolAutumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton

Index

"Man in the closet"Black and grey "snood": wool and acrylicAutumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Charlie Carroll.

"Snoods": wool, cotton and acrylicAutumn/Winter 2009-2010. Photo by: Ryan Boynton