The Geometrical Property of Fibonacci Numbers…in Fashion

In a previous post on this site we looked at the application of mathematics in a fashion collection via threeASFOUR's "Harmonograph" dress. As you may remember from a previous post the designers created a spiralling motif around the body, following the geometry of the Fibonacci sequence, optically portraying the effect of a harmonograph.

It looks like Fibonacci and maths are an inspiration also for students at the moment: on Wednesday, at the Academy of Arts University's Graduation Fashion Show, Vanessa Nash-Spangler, B.F.A. Fashion Design, sent out a series of oversized tulle, silk and organza designs in a vibrant selection of nuances, going from soft wysteria and lilacs to sky blues, decorated with ruffles and flowers.

Though they echoed a bit Comme des Garçons' creations, the designs were actually part of a collection entitled "GeoSprung" inspired by the Fibonacci Sequence and the geometrical figures we encounter in nature.

While in mathematics the Fibonacci sequence features the numbers in the integer sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, and so on (in a nutshell each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two), the sequence also appears in biological settings, such as branching in trees, grasses and flowers, arrangement of leaves on a steam, the fruitlets of a pineapple, the flower of the artichoke, the arrangement of a pine cone, the seeds on a raspberry and the spiral patterns in horns and shells.

Nature actually does not use the Fibonacci numbers: specific natural shapes are indeed a by-product of a deeper physical process since for example the leaves in a plant are arranged to maximise access to resources like sunlight for photoshynthesis.

Nash-Spangler incorporated instead the Fibonacci Sequence into the patterns for her designs to create some of the ruffles contributing to give a voluminous shape to her designs. Other ruffles were straight cut and sewn into a hexagonal base to mimic a honeycomb. The final art/artisanal touch? All the fabrics were painted by hand.

It is extremely easy to understand why fashion designers are constantly inspired by Fibonacci: his series of numbers and its rations are said to be the perfect and most pleasing to the eye and therefore the ideal shape for all creation.