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Elemental Fashion: Wearing Earth, Air, Fire, and Water

Elemental Fashion: Wearing Earth, Air, Fire, and Water

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Four element fashion strives to bring nature’s elements and our living ecosystem into balance.

Four element fashion is based on the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. It consists of incorporating qualities of these elements in fashion to support the body. Four element fashion is theoretical in practice and an instrumental force of healing when incorporated into fashion.

It also targets feng shui’s effective capacity to bring nature’s elements and the human’s living ecosystem into balance.

Integrating an Outfit

When we establish a connection with the four elements through fashion it becomes a deep-rooted, natural way to align with nature. When earth, air, fire, and water are all integrated together within an outfit, they complement each other, and it can only increase fashion’s healing power. When all four elements are synthesized together in a design, they express a form of supernatural communication.

Elemental fashion strengthens a person’s connection to Earth and to themselves because it’s a symbolic representation of the universe. It’s interesting to note that astrological zodiac symbols are connected to the four elements. We may have dominant features of an element we like to express through fashion and resonate with, due to planetary alignments from the time of our birth, and the planets we like to associate with.

[Read: “Astrology Studies: An Introduction to Elemental Wisdom.”]

The development of four element-inspired fabrics and pre-existing four-element fabrics works to incorporate earth, air, fire, and water into the fabric for their healing benefits. One way to incorporate the therapeutic properties of the four elements in fabric is to create a fabric development test. For example, a fabric development test can be applied to depict a fabric’s mobility and motion capacity. Mobility and motion capacity of a fabric can be considered a therapeutic property of the air and water element, as air and water flow.

Four Element Fashion as Healing Therapy

There are numerous ways to utilize four element fashion. Take the visual senses pertaining to the air element. The air element is incorporated into fashion when editorial fashion shoots capture fabric in motion, or a fashion film interprets clothing in motion with its movement expressed. These both have visual and tactile sensory behaviors of the air element property. Fabric in motion can lift the heart. For example, an extended shawl scarf flowing in the breeze can make emotions immediately arise. The movement of cloth is merely one type of expression that we can use to alter health positively.

Included below is a sample list of the four elements: earth, air, fire, water, and their properties to be used in fashion design. This is for the purpose of having a better understanding of how the four elements can be fused into a fashion design. A small sample of the colors, fabric types, design details, and therapeutic properties connected to each element is described. This sample list is a small introduction of four element fashion as a healing fashion therapy. Evoking the four elements into a wardrobe or fashion collection creates balance and is a form of elemental alchemy.

Incorporating Earth, Air, Fire, and Water Into Your Wardrobe:

Earth: plants, mountains, earthquakes, rocks

  • COLORS: green, brown, black, earth tones
  • FABRIC TYPES: woven, natural, angular, textured
  • DESIGN DETAILS: structured patterns, layers
  • THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES: grounding, growth, expansion

Air: wind, vortex, tornado, ocean tides, galaxy

  • COLORS: yellow, gray, blue, white, silver, prism
  • FABRIC TYPES: breathable fabrics, mesh, outdoor apparel fabrics
  • DESIGN DETAILS: pleats, vents, buoyant bias cut, fluid patterns, symmetry
  • THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES: mental release, balance, intelligence, evolution

Fire: blazing sun, fire, heat, energy

  • COLORS: red, orange, gold, violet, smoky colors
  • FABRIC TYPES: thermal fabrics, glossy sheen, flowing fabrics
  • DESIGN DETAILS: vibrant, invigorating patterns
  • THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES: spiritual cleansing, space clearing, creativity

Water: ocean, rain, waterfalls, movement

  • COLORS: blue, aquamarine, sea green, black, iridescence
  • FABRIC TYPES: stretch-based fabrics, knitwear, athletic apparel
  • DESIGN DETAILS: lucid patterns, soft angles, shimmering fabrics
  • THERAPEUTIC PROPERTIES: emotional release, flow, intuition

This excerpt is from Alyssa Couture’s new book Healthy Fashion: The Deeper Truths (Ayni Books, December 1, 2021) and is reprinted with permission from the publisher.

Elemental fashion

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