THE ART OF COUTURE
Constructing a visual dialogue between the worlds of art, architecture, and couture; Suzy Syme’s wearable art creations reveal layered intricacies of fluid, organic forms underpinned by logical geometric structures and assembly.
At its core, architectural design denotes the shaping of space for human occupation. Couture, on the other hand, encompasses the shaping of form to house the human body. We seek to explore the world between these two realms: crafting wearable pieces of art that occupy and shape the space around the human body; responding intrinsically to the motions of the wearer, whilst defining sculpted spatial occupation.
With appreciation for the boundless potential of innovative technologies – which we believe hold the key to truly sustainable, inspiring couture design – we employ cutting edge technological expertise in the design, generation and fabrication of our unique art couture creations. Combining complex growth
algorithms, 3D printing and laser-cutting technology, our art couture designs are carefully ‘grown’ and crafted with their own unique patterns and cellular formation in true mimicry of nature’s intrinsic ever-adaptive beauty.
MS SUZY SYME
Inspired by the wonders of natural phenomena and forged by a passion for cutting-edge design and fabrication technologies, Suzy’s work is a love affair of nature, art, architecture, and fashion.
A practicing architect with a rich background in fine art and fashion, Suzy and husband Andrew Costa co-founded Costa Syme Architects in 2022 and art meets design studio Tide Pool Designs in 2024. Buoyed by a love of creating together and shared passion for blurring the boundaries between art, architecture and design, Suzy and Andrew’s artistic practice explores architecturally influenced, sculptural designs that are inspired by patterns in nature.
Compelled to capture the essence of beloved experiences in the natural world, Suzy draws upon architecturally founded visual coding expertise to push the boundaries of digital design; developing complex growth algorithms capable of mimicking the inherent uniqueness of natural growth. Utilising innovative fabrication techniques to help bring these intricate creations to life, Suzy carefully assembles each design by hand. Seamlessly intertwining traditional sewing methods with innovative 3D printed ‘seams’ to construct one-of-a-kind Art Couture ensembles.
OUR WORK
We are currently exploring a collection of work inspired by core experiences we’ve shared exploring Australia’s stunning coral reefs; named Coralescence. Coralescence celebrates the beauty and joy of discovery inherent in our reef: with lament to coral lost to degradation, bleaching and cyclonic impact over the years, the Coralescence collection celebrates the conservation efforts intent on preserving and restoring our beloved reefs. A beacon of hope for a future in which coral readily grows and thrives, and our reef eco-systems flourish in restored glory.
Utilising cutting-edge technology and fabrication techniques to transcend perceived boundaries between art, architecture and design, Suzy scripted a complex growth algorithm capable of mimicking the patterns of differential growth found in foliose coral. The Coralescence collection is composed using iterations of this growth algorithm that facilitate assembly of coral-like cells across 2D and 3D forms, each cell entirely unique in true biomimicry of nature’s unrepeatable beauty.
Throughout every phase of design we are passionate about doing all we can to benefit our beloved natural environment; starting with a holistic approach to sustainable practice across design and fabrication. All our art couture creations are crafted from recycled, recyclable and/or bio-degradable materials where possible; coupled with the minimal waste of precision 3D-printing and laser-cutting technology. Our studio is fuelled by renewable energy and houses a dedicated multi-tier manufacture waste recycling system with a focus on internal re-use.