Let's Talk Aesthetics: Vaporwave

We're introducing a new blog series where we explore different ways to fit handmade accessories and garments into specific aesthetic styles. We're always trying to show that handmade garments and accessories can be gorgeous and functional pieces to add into any wardrobe. We all know that the stereotype of a little old lady wrapped in a shawl sitting a rocking chair is not true for the entire fiber arts community, but we want to break that stereotype even further by showing how aesthetics like Punk, Goth, Modern, Steampunk and other styles can still look cohesive even when adding a handmade piece.

This will be an ongoing series but for this week we're going to look at the pastel, neon, and computer graphic infused universe of Vaporwave. We'll define what the style is are first for people who aren't familiar and then show our ideas on how to choose yarns and fibers that can fit into this aesthetic look.

A really quick way to get an idea of what the look of an aesthetic movement is if you're not at all familiar with it to just to do a quick Google Image or Pinterest search. The top two rows above show the neon/pastel palette of Vaporwave as well as its penchant for using old 90's computer graphics. 

Vaporwave is a genre of electronic music that  choppily samples 80's/90's elevator music. The aesthetic look evolved alongside the music genre so it also makes use of 80's/90's nostalgia by repurposing old graphics like the 90's Windows logo. Common themes that come up in the style are Japanese characters, computer menus, retro video games, neons combined with pastels, and brand logos. Fashion-wise it is most often represented in casual street wear. 

The above hoodie is from Vapor95, a website that sells exclusively Vaporwave style clothing and accessories. We challenged ourselves to make a layout of yarns that would fit comfortably into a Vaporwave wardrobe alongside pieces like this hoodie. 

Items featured from left to right: 

• Rosie's Magical Merino Top in Mirror, Mirror
• McFarland Spectrum Boat Shuttle in Pink Passion
• Strauch Button Diz
• Dyed Corriedale Top in Fluro Blue, Fluro Pink, and Fluro Lime 
• Golden Fleece Merino Prato Yarn in Royal Purple, Blueness, and Candy Pink
• Feza Alp Premier Yarn in 410
• Harrisville Shetland in 88 Pink 
• Omega Sinfonia Cotton Yarn in 828 Lila, 827 Rose Tierno, 826 Azul Cielo, 821 Aqua Fuerte, 835 Verde Citrico, 832 Turquesa, 825 Rosa Mexicano, 837 Morado Intenso
• Rosie's Cotton Ribbon Yarn in Pink 
• Spot Dyed Wool in Aurora (this is the background fabric) 

As you can see, we really leaned on color to make our Vaporwave aesthetic choice come through. It was so fun to pick pastel and neon yarns that still played nicely together. We love that the texture of the Feza Alp Premier Yarn skein can be taken to mimic the glitchy quality of a lot of Vaporwave graphics. Aside from that we mostly chose smooth and soft textures because the computer graphic have smooth clean texture. We thought up so many new project ideas while putting together this spread. Weaving up a pastel color blocked fabric with pops of neon would be soft! 

Next week we're going to be looking at the Cottagecore aesthetic. We'd love to hear if there are other aesthetic styles you're wanting us to explore, let us know your thoughts on Facebook and Instagram!