My zipper jewelry combines the theatrical influences of my career as a costume designer, and love for outrageous adornment with my desire to transform ordinary materials into extraordinary creations.
I am fascinated by adornment, and excess. I am inspired by the repetition of ordinary items.
When I see one item repeated in large quantity or in an extreme size, I start to see it in its very basic visual form. I make associations based on shape, color and texture and I am freed from traditional restraints about what that item or material is normally used for.
My specific fascination with zippers comes from my general love of transforming ordinary materials into wearable objects of art. Because the metal teeth are attached to a fabric edge, the zipper is a material that is both rigid and flexible. I enjoy the contrast between the whimsical shapes that I create using the zipper and its harsh metal teeth.
Traditionally, the zipper is a device designed simply to function. In fashion and costume design, the zipper is often looked down upon as a shortcut: it is a fastener and not a feature.
Through my transformation of everyday materials into a fanciful wearable creation, my work reminds the viewer about the power of imagination and the joy of discovering a new view of something that would have otherwise been overlooked. There is an exciting “a-ha” moment when someone realizes that there is more to my design then they initially expected. I create polished, elegant work that the viewer can appreciate in a serious way, but then when the viewer notices whatever the object is made out of, it surprises them and brings a smile to their face.
Since my original Zipper Pin design, in 2003, I have created an ever-expanding collection that includes Zipper Necklaces, Zipper Bracelets and Zipper Brooches.
Images of my Zipper Jewelry have been featured on fashion and design blogs, which has sparked interest from fashion designers and photographers. My Zipper Jewelry has also caught the attention of the editors and stylists for magazines from New Zealand to New York, from Italy to Brazil.
All of my experiences from costume design and window display to wearable-art culminate in the Zipper Jewelry. They all relate to the body, and combine theatrical influences and my love for the transformation of unusual materials.
Artist bio:
Kate Cusack’s unique Zipper Jewelry has been recognized and admired across the U.S. and internationally. Kate earned her BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art where she first began creating wearable-art using unusual materials. In 2003, Kate designed the original Zipper Pin just as she began a rigorous, three-year MFA program studying costume design at the Yale School of Drama. Kate also creates non-traditional costumes for theater and dance. Kate is now concentrating on her Zipper Jewelry, where the sense of theatricality is evident in her dynamic collection of one of a kind Zipper Necklaces, Zipper Bracelets and Zipper Brooches.
