Solar punk is a tool to be used for the betterment of society. Its focus on new innovations, sustainability, and inclusivity ensures a positive future for all people and is a conscious way to develop the world we want to live in. Solar punk is welcoming to all people who share similar beliefs and values — it is a mindset in which the end goal is a sustainable earth for all people to share and prosper in.

In my solar punk future, the line between work and play will become more and more blurred. People will have to adhere less to social constraints and be more free to surpass traditional boundaries set by our current society. People will be able to wear less conventionally professional outfits and will not be held to a strict set of constraints on what is deemed acceptable. 

In the current day, there are too many rules dictating what clothes are acceptable to wear. These rules manifest in our society in the form of pressure to conform, as well as actual dress codes that must be followed. Hopefully in the future the rules of how one must dress will become less restrictive and eventually disappear all together.

My wearable is a professional suit jacket, that breaks many of today's standards for acceptable work attire. Aspects of this suit including a hood and exaggerated sleeves contrast with the crisp classic suit part of this garment. This suit is meant to emphasize the the variation in how people are able to dress, while still being acceptable for work.

Patrick M.

Solar Punk is a new, progressive way of thinking about the design of the future. The future is coming fast, and we need new ideas to keep up. Solar Punk takes an optimistic spin which ties in with re-invention, harmony with nature, and sustainability. Recycling old ideas and innovation is what drives Solar Punk to be more prominent. The future holds many exciting ideas, and they will manifest themselves, with Solar Punk leading the way. In the future, a heliocentric way of life will be the center of everyone's moral compass. the sun is heavily worshiped, which allows the rebirth of Egyptian heritage to be warranted. The sun is a guide and the center of attention for everyone.

I created a new, and fresh Egyptian Inspired fan. With a long pole and feathers, Egyptian fans have been around for a long time. I decided to take this outdated idea, and put a fresh spin on it. One interacts with it by simply holding it, or fanning themselves or someone else. I made this fan because a sign of wealth and power were these decorative fan. Since the sun is heavily worshipped, an Egyptian fan is heavily linked with the sun. It is a way to honor the sun, and also show that you have power and elegance. This piece would be for those who have higher taste, and are in a higher class of hierarchy.

Despite the dystopian trend sci-fi typically resides in, solarpunk offers an optimistic, nature - symbiotic outlook on the future. In the far future nature, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments will change drastically. The atmosphere will change composition, causing light rays to diffract smoothly across the sky, shadows will become diffused and the sky may change colors. In the future, music and literature of today, such as Electric Light Orchestra’s “Mr. Blue Sky” - which is currently so closely tied to relentless optimism - may not represent a good day at all. The conditions of this new world will change what our current definition of a good day.

This garment, set within this future world, contemplates what a good day will look like. The colors and pattern represent the intersection between sky, ocean and land along a shoreline. The construction of the garment allows the user to manipulate its movement, much the same way nature will influence the solarpunk future.

My version of SolarPunk consists of optimism, reinvention, inclusivity, and technology. Contemporary artists like Takashi Murakami and Yayoi Kusama inspire an optimistic and playful future, and Cecily Brown and Anslem Kiefer inspire the pessimistic and darker past. Being able to integrate a sense of playfulness into our current serious attitude is key, as it currently limits creative ideas for a better tomorrow. I draw inspiration from the movie "Annie (2014)" as its soundtrack yearns for a brighter future to come, having very dark lyrics but joyful instrumentals, and consists of ongoing optimism in a harsh world. My aesthetic, inspired by Annie, includes a vibrant red to show optimism for the future, a neutral white to reflect on the present as well as a neutral black to reflect on the dark past.

Tempus is a pant and sweater for any occasion. Tempus represents both a timeline, and the current division in our world, telling the story of three different sides. Three different time eras: the past, the present and the future.  Angled cuts on different clothing pieces represent the division and border between all the eras. The vibrant red on top of the black and white represents the playful mindset needed for a better tomorrow.

Solarpunk is a movement that is built on optimism and reinvention, and looks for ways to incorporate both futuristic technology and natural elements in one setting. It is based on a need for an alternative future, but also yearns for a back-to-nature style, while keeping the design focused around people. It looks back, and tries to take things from the past and integrate or reuse them in the future, and this can be truly fascinating and useful. 

The genre of Solarpunk mainly revolves around the purpose of reclaiming the environment, but without its other aspects, like reinvention and optimism, it becomes something else. In this way, optimism is an inseparable part of the Solarpunk worldview, as without it, it could become a dystopia as easily as pother things could.

In this day and age, people tend to view the future as a darker version of the present, and they rarely try to fix it, instead giving in to a fatalistic point of view. We rarely view the future, or even our current lives, with an idealistic spin, so Plexus means to change that.

Plexus is a jacket which, through improving your posture, enforces confidence and optimism in the wearer. The jacket is made of reused fabric found in thrift stores, and has a flexible waistband to help improve posture. In use, the person would put the jacket on like a normal jacket, and then fasten it at the waist. The jacket would then work to improve your posture, and in this way, make you feel more confident.

Solarpunk is an optimistic view of the future with a focus on sustainability and equity. It is a green, inviting place with people who aren't scared to innovate no matter the circumstance or what already exists. It emphasizes handcrafts and celebrates local businesses. The aesthetic - to me - has a lot of green and warm colors, takes inspiration from art nouveau, art deco and nature. 

The skirt is attached by macrame to the waist and has four legs that attach little shelves. There are hanging macrame plants hanging from the shelves on the inside so that you can grow a snack or a beautiful little plant everywhere you go. A solar punk future has a lot of green and there are trees and plants are everywhere. In the future it is possible that accessing food would become harder, this skirt would make it far easier to have healthy readily availabe It was created as an art piece and to promote harmony with nature.