EXPLORE THE IDA 2025 WINNERS - GET INSPIRED BY OUTSTANDING DESIGN!
Share on Social Media
The Dark Within, | International Design Awards Winners
The Dark Within, | International Design Awards Winners
The Dark Within, | International Design Awards Winners
The Dark Within, | International Design Awards Winners
The Dark Within, | International Design Awards Winners
The Dark Within, | International Design Awards Winners
The Dark Within, | International Design Awards Winners
The Dark Within, | International Design Awards Winners
The Dark Within, | International Design Awards Winners
The Dark Within, | International Design Awards Winners
The Dark Within, | International Design Awards Winners

The Dark Within

UniversitySavannah College of Art and Design
Lead DesignersInju Ko
CreditsPhoto by Ruben G. Calderon, and Lucy Yiqin Li
Prize(s)Bronze in Other Fashion Designs / AvantGarde
Entry Description

'The Dark Within' explores self-protection's paradox: emotional armor built against pain becomes our greatest suffering. Protective walls transform into prisons. Self-preservation becomes self-destruction.

This mirrors defensive animals: armadillo girdled lizards curling into spheres, pufferfish inflating with spines, chameleons vanishing. The harder we defend, the more we suffer internally.

The collection translates this into wearable structures. Fabric tension embodies emotional weight. Black represents hidden darkness; silver evokes wounding armor.

When does our armor become our cage?