Twenty-year-old Katriin Raudsepp from the Estonian Academy of Arts dedicates her project Nayo to women, to their strength and quiet resilience. Her design is an ode to the duality of femininity — to softness and hardness at once. It embodies protection, vulnerability, and self-assertion.
The silhouette is both archaic and futuristic. Floating side panels frame the body like armor made of fangs. They protect, yet they also threaten. This interplay of danger and beauty runs throughout the entire design. At its center lies a reflective metal corset that wraps tightly around the body. It represents the silence and selflessness imposed on women from an early age, a shining yet uncomfortable shell that both restrains and protects.
“I wanted to show how women are forced to hide their gentleness — and how they turn that gentleness into strength,” says Katriin Raudsepp.
The ensemble is deeply rooted in Estonian culture and folklore. Katriin Raudsepp drew inspiration from traditional metal brooches and mythical female figures in folk art that symbolize courage, sacrifice, and perseverance. Ethnographic forms and motifs are transformed into a contemporary expression of female identity.
The material concept combines traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. Embroidered fabric panels, molded leather, metal plates, and padded structures merge into an organic kind of armor. The designer uses machine embroidery, hammering, metalworking, and 3D printing to reveal both strength and delicacy. The result is an armor of emotion, a garment that not only protects but also tells a story. It feels like an heirloom from another time that has found new meaning in the present.
