The Art of Body-morphing Couture by Michaela Stark

20 November 2024

She defines herself as a "Couturier / Artist", two terms often presented as being opposites, the former implying a commercial dimension, the latter being more self-sufficient as an end in itself.

For Michaela Stark, they are by no means separate; in fact both couture and fashion, which she considers far from being "frivolous", are the means through which she creates her art, seeking new forms of aesthetic and artistic beauty.

Bringing Couture and Art together

After completing a Bachelor in Fashion Design in Australia, in 2017 Michaela flew to London where she worked as a seamstress for budding British fashion houses. In 2018, she was hired by Beyoncé as a couturier on the set of her "Apeshit" video. Filmed in Paris, at the Louvre Museum, the video gives full meaning to the fusion sought by Michaela in her work between Couture and Art.
The experience, which continued throughout the star's European tour, was a revelation for Michaela, giving her access to the design of high-end pieces. The couturier-artist went on to dress other celebrities such as Julia Fox, Celeste, Shy Girl, Tove Lo and Gigi Hadid, and even men like pop singer Sam Smith. Then it was back to Paris to engage in collaborations with Marine Serre, Cartier and Louboutin.

Lingerie: an unattainable dream; the body: an obsession

Michaela has always been attracted to lingerie, however as her body did not meet the classic beauty standards displayed in advertisements, the artist could not see herself in that domain, and, worse still, she could not find products to match her body shape.
Feeling "rejected" by a world of standardized, unattainable fantasies, Michaela developed her own creative process around the approach of a new body aesthetic through "body-morphing".

From 2020 onwards, Michaela devoted herself fully to her art, attracting the fashion world's attention and giving her the opportunity to work for editors and collaborate with artists, including photographers Paul Kooiker and Brigitte Niedermair. In her work, and particularly in her 2020 series entitled "Second Skin" Michaela is inspired by the way the naked body moves, and the natural movements that transform it.

Using an experimental approach, the artist observes the effects of different postures and environmental conditions on her own silhouette and its transformations: whether sitting or doing yoga, experiencing the peculiarities of weightlessness or floating on water, by pinching and pulling her skin, or tightening her flesh through the use of clothes or lacings.

The Corset as a Messenger
In her London studio, Michaela explores the possibilities offered by sewing, and in particular of the corset, giving visibility to the raw reality of bodies. Drawing on techniques learned from studying the works of the great couturiers, the artist uses "bonding" and "draping" methods, which she applies to her own body, to achieve the aesthetic she seeks.

Aspiring to provoke pure and immediate emotion, from fascination to repulsion, Michaela devotes most of her time to the creation and crafting of corsets, skillfully designed to reveal tummies, bulges, stretch marks, sagging flesh and anatomical asymmetries, thus breaking the classic codes of stereotyped beauty.

A daring counter-use of this undergarment, originally designed to hide, smooth and conform the female body to precise standards dictated by society. A way of rebelling against these diktats and conveying a message of different types of enchantment and fantasies, not limited to conformist or socially acceptable models.

In her own words, Michaela rightly calls out: "I find it amusing that in nature we can appreciate all the different forms of beauty, without any of them canceling out the others. If a cherry blossom is touching and beautiful, does that mean that a rose blossom isn't?

By applying this same reasoning to the human body, the artist attempts to prove that unconventional beauty also has its place, powerfully questioning its very essence and meaning, and the acceptance of its diversity beyond the norm past fifteen years, the artist has been creating bespoke pieces using silk, diaphanous tulle and whalebone, and making up to five pieces before achieving the perfect shape Once the chrysalis-like oeuvre is assembled, Michaela embellishes it by hand using for example embroidery, pleats or crystals.

Collaborating with Victoria's Secret

During "The Tour '23" event organized by Victoria's Secret, Michaela was one of twenty participants invited to create exclusive silhouettes for the famous lingerie brand whose aim was to try to reposition itself towards greater inclusivity. This was an opportunity for the artist to prove that lingerie is not limited to a single type of "angel", that it can also be open to larger as well as transgender bodies. It was a form of retaliation for her who, as a teenager, had stopped eating for a while to fit in with the sleek models she saw parading for the brand...

As if working with a time machine, Michaela was encouraged to draw inspiration from archives to create new looks to match the unconventional bodies of models Jade O'Belle and Ceval. In the words of the couturier-artist she was able to give life to seamed corsets that "transformed flesh, highlighted tummies and fat in a soft, delicate and feminine way". Unfortunately, the show didn't meet with the expected success, but Michaela saw it as an opportunity to take her message and question the idea of beauty even further.

Recognition at Fashion-Week

Michaela Stark took part in the Milan Fashion Week Autumn-Winter 2024, where she presented her work in the form of an exhibition at the Fondazione Sozzani.

Produced in partnership with photographer Charlotte Rutherford, the exhibition chronicled her experimental journey around the body in a setting inspired by her London studio.

Hanging flowers, playful surreal photographs of "manic dolls", notes and sketches attached with adhesive tape were all on display. The opening featured a performance by the voluptuously curvaceous model Yasmin El Yassini, who was transformed by Michaela's draping techniques.

Spectators looked on as her flesh was revealed in a liberating fashion, her body being transformed. The event was also the perfect opportunity for Michaela to launch her own lingerie brand, "Panty", created with her partner Raga Muñecas.

Amidst ribbons, fabrics, sewing machines and mannequins, seven mesmerizing dolls draped in veils, tulle and whalebone presented this first collection.

The designer's aim is to create beautiful pieces designed to gently sculpt the female body and enhance its natural shapes and curves. The inclusive collection, developed on an L size to ensure that generous curves are taken into account from the design stage, is available up to a 5XL size.

For Michaela, it's a new approach to lingerie, conceived for the female gaze. In developing her line, the artist hopes to convince lingerie brands that there is a point where luxury and inclusivity meet, that there is place for both, and that there is an underserved market need in the segment.

Michaela, who has acquired the knowledge and experience required to manufacture products for generous body shapes, in future would love to collaborate with lingerie brands who wish to explore this new concept, creating "delicate products for the voluptuous bodies that are so often overlooked."

Intrigued by the artist? Check out her iconoclastic designs at: https://www.michaelastark.com/panty