Origami dresses by Jule Waibel designed for Bershka stores in 25 cities

German designer Jule Waibel has created 25 of her folded paper dresses for fashion brand Bershka’s shop windows around the world (+ movie).

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities
London

Jule Waibel produces the dresses by hand-pleating large sheets of paper into forms that fit the body. Each takes over ten hours to complete.

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities
London

She was contacted by Bershka with an offer to exhibit 25 dresses in as many of its flagship stores in cities including London, Paris, Milan, Istanbul, Osaka and Mexico City.

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities

“I was excited and shocked at the same time,” Waibel told Dezeen, “25 dresses for 25 shops?!”

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities

Waibel scores the paper horizontally and vertically before folding along the seams, then repeats the process for the diagonal.

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities
Amsterdam, London, Berlin

The two halves of the sheet are printed with a different pattern, one for the bodice and the other for the skirt.

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities
Amsterdam

Most of the dresses are printed with colour gradients, while a few are covered with detailed patterns.

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities
Mexico

Different colours and graphics were used for each of the cities, but Waibel was keen to move away from stereotypical shades and motifs such as the ones used in the countries’ flags.

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities
Berlin

“I found it too obvious to use the typical colours and instead I wanted to try something different,” she explained. “I figured that the people must be bored with seeing the same style all the time.”

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities
Singapore

Her favourites are the black and white design in Paris, the dress patterned with tiny black and orange fish in Berlin and the installation on London’s Oxford Street that appears to glow like lava.

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities
Milan

Waibel and her team spent just over a week producing the garments and a set of accessories at a studio in Barcelona.

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities
Osaka

“Together with my supportive pleating assistants we managed to fold 25 dresses, two bags and two umbrellas within eight tough working days!” she said.

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities

The origami dresses will be installed until 31 January.

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities

Waibel first designed her concertinaed clothing while studying on Platform 18 of the Royal College of Art’s Design Products course and exhibited her work at ShowRCA 2013.

Origami dresses by Jule Waibel installed at Bershka stores in 25 cities

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for Bershka stores in 25 cities
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High Voltage Laboratory by ACXT Architects

Crinkled polished metal wraps around this electrical testing facility in northern Spain by ACXT Architects (+ slideshow).

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

ACXT Architects designed the building for electricity firm Arteche to test dielectric transformers on an industrial estate north of Bilbao.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

Specific conditions are needed to conduct the tests, such as inner dimensions of 57 metres long, 30 metres wide and 27 metres high.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

A Faraday cage, an enclosure formed by conducting material, encompasses the testing hall that houses spheres of silver disks atop columns of various heights.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

A two-storey block containing meeting and observation spaces sits to one side of the main volume.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

These rooms have long windows into the large testing chamber so the experiments can be recorded.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

The facades of the smaller block are patterned with vertical stripes, mimicking the pleated metal wall behind.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

A couple of weeks ago we featured another laboratory in Spain that is hoisted up onto red metal stilts and we’ve also published a photography series documenting the architecture of science and research facilities.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

More pleated buildings on Dezeen include a wedding centre in Japan with a zig-zagging facade and Zaha Hadid’s museum of contemporary art for Michigan State University.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

See more laboratory design »
See more architecture and design in Spain »
See more pleated designs »

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

The following text was sent to us by the architects:


This building is a High Voltage Laboratory, for testing dielectric transformers up to 850 kV, which requires to be a diaphanous vessel of 57m long, 30m wide and 27m high (inner dimensions), surrounded completely by a Faraday cage needed for the extremely precise measurements performed inside.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

The main hall can be divided into three main spaces, suitable for carrying out the Impulse and Resonant Tests, and SF6 equipment tests.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

Annex to the main space, there is a technical block with views into the testing room, which features two control rooms/reception, a meeting room and space for presentations and meetings for up to 60 people.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT

The new Laboratory is intended as both a laboratory of the most advanced technology in the sector, a representation of the ARTECHE bet on innovation, reflected in a polished metal facade that vibrates and breaks along its perimeter, allowing integration in a volume so important in the environment that is characterised by buildings significantly lower than this building, which reaches 30 metres.

High Voltage Lab by ACXT
Floor plan – click for larger image
High Voltage Lab by ACXT
Cross section – click for larger image
High Voltage Lab by ACXT
Elevation – click for larger image

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by ACXT Architects
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Dezeen archive: pleats

Pleats archive

Dezeen archive: pleats have cropped up in a number of architecture and design projects recently, so our latest archive features a collection of folded, fluted and crinkled design. See all our stories about pleated architecture and design »

See all our archive stories »

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pleats
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