TikToker Engineer Created a Self-Laced Corset and Transformation Dress

Louise Katzovitz was not interested in fashion trends while growing up. Katzovitz preferred to wear off-kilter clothes that were not like what she saw on her peers. The first time Katzovitz realized her love for statement-making pieces was in the early 2000s, when she wore a Betsey John bubble skirt dress that made her “look like cupcakes” to her homecoming. Katzovitz has changed in style over the years. She now wears minimal pieces and occasional girly dresses, but she still loves bigger-than-life fashion.

Katzovitz is now able to show her creations to thousands on TikTok and Instagram, but she never imagined herself as a “designer”. Katzovitz grew up in math and geometry, where she was the brightest. In college, she majored in mechanical engineering. She studied it quet well in college. But, her passion for avant-garde fashion was always there. So, while she was studying at Northeastern University Katzovitz enrolled in a certificate program in design and fashion at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

After graduating from college, she was a full-time mechanical engineering worker in Boston. She also dabbled in fashion design projects. She was inspired to combine the two professions. Some of her videos are now viewed more than 500,000 times on TikTok.

Katzovitz uses engineering and science to create unique inventions that surpass anything currently on the market. Imagine a corset that can be self-laced and 3D-printed clothing which can change color.

Katzovitz draws inspiration from fashion runways and film to create her amazing creations. She reimagined a Schiaparelli Spring 2021 couture gown in April. Katzovitz chose to create cut-outs with teeth-shaped embellishments rather than creating cut-outs. She used Hungry Hungry hippos pieces to create the board-game-inspired detailing. Later, she embellished them with pearls, stones, and other ornaments to channel the original Schiaparelli ornaments. Katzovitz imitated a dress in Cruella’s scene where Emma Stone’s white cape was torn by flames. This revealed a red dress underneath. Katzovitz did not actually set herself ablaze, but she made a mini cape from flash paper, which is a mixture of cotton fabric and sulfuric acid. This was to give the illusion of flames. She says, “I love transformations in movies and I am the kind of person who gasps at them for actual.” “Transforming clothes is how I do it in real life.”

Katzovitz’s work forms part of a wider revolution that is taking place due to fashion and STEM fields coming together. Neri Oxman from MIT’s Media Lab, and textile experts Mark Liu who have created projects such as a self-growing silk structure or zero-waste pattern-making, are just a few examples. Designers like Zac Posen and Iris Van Herpen, a favourite of Katzovitz, have advocated for the merging fashion and technology using techniques such as 3-D printing or electromagnetic weaving. These are not only visually stunning, but they also offer a new way to create fashion. The benefits of combining fashion and technology have been more than just aesthetic. They are also beneficial for the future sustainability of the garment industry. Science has made it possible for the fashion industry to access biodegradable fabrics as well as cruelty-free alternatives such as mushroom “leather.” This brings up the question of how technology could be used to help people with disabilities.

After Katzovitz revealed that she had created a self-laced corset to allow her to wear her favorite bustier, without having to lace it by hand, the idea for this project came up. For people with disabilities, people started to share their thoughts on Katzovitz’s Instagram posts. She says, “That’s been an amazing thing that I discovered by sharing my work.” “People are reaching me to give their opinions on certain revisions.” After months of testing micromotors and looking at other innovations like Nike’s self-lacing sneakers, which were sold through its “Adapt”, line in 2016, she recently completed the self-laced corset. She says, “We must keep thinking about how to bring this type of technology to people and help them.”

Katzovitz will next be working on a commission to create Michael Jackson’s red jacket in “Thriller”. She’ll transform it with LED lights that are inspired by a similar look from the singer’s “Victory Tour.” She says, “I’m really excited as this jacket was made almost 40 years ago.” It’s amazing to see how much technology we have for LEDs and batteries.

Katzovitz documents her projects in hopes of sharing insight into how science can be used to help fashion industry grow. While it might seem like technology like this is only for fashion shows and costumes for film, Katzovitz wants to make them more accessible to everyone who wants fashion to be better for them, both visually as well as functionally. She says, “I believe people are becoming more deliberate about design and what they purchase, so hopefully clothes will become what people actually want and need.”