IAIA Quantum Couture—Physics Meets Fashion on the Runway
IAIA’s Quantum Couture: Fashion and Physics (FASYSICS) event promises high style, higher dimensions, and just a hint of gravitational uncertainty.
On Saturday, August 16 at 1 pm, during SWAIA’s Santa Fe Indian Market, the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) and the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) will present a one-of-a-kind collaboration on the cutting edge of fashion and quantum physics on a uniquely designed runway outside the museum.
Produced in collaboration with special yet-to-be announced fashion designer, Quantum Couture: Fashion and Physics (FASYSICS), presents a unique collection blending cutting-edge quantum mechanics and particle theory with traditional Indigenous aesthetics, resulting in imaginative fashion pieces that boldly showcase the future of art, design, and science.
“I’m proud to introduce quantum-inspired aspects of style through my designs at the show,” says the fashion designer. “Some of the ‘looks’ we will present were created in collaboration with local physicists, and include dark matter sequins, holographic iridescence, phase-shifting textiles, waveform wear, and quantum weave.”
The designer says that when viewed with special photon-layered stereoscopic glasses (available on loan during the runway presentation) guests will watch quantum-beads alter the way light interacts with the fabric, seeming to exist in a superposition of multiple states and glitching into alternative realities. “Fashion becomes not just a form of clothing but an experience, where garments are both physical and digital—real and imagined—depending on who is observing them,” says the designer.
Digital matrixes hidden in the layers of the garments function as a “quantum matrix” linked to encrypted visual code. By harnessing the elusive behaviors of subatomic particles, each “look” can subtly shift its color palette and pattern in response to environmental signals—shimmering with cosmic flair whenever gravitational waves ripple through the fabric, hinting at the limitless possibilities woven into its quantum weave. No two viewers will see the same “look”—this is the multiverse of fashion.
IAIA community members will walk the runway in quantumly coded fashion that illustrates an uncertainty principal, which states that there is a limit to the precision with which certain pairs of physical properties, such as position and momentum, can be simultaneously known.
During this interstellar presentation, we recommend that audiences maintain a distance of at least 4.1 feet from the runway to ensure maximum safety and avoid the risk of spaghettification.
“At IAIA, we are always pushing the boundaries of creativity, but with Quantum Couture, we may have officially bent the fabric of space-time. This groundbreaking fusion of fashion and physics challenges not just artistic conventions, but the very laws of the universe. Whether you see these designs as dazzling high fashion or a quantum anomaly depends entirely on your frame of reference. One thing is certain—this is a fashion show with uncertainty built in. We invite you to witness the future of Indigenous design, where style exists in a superposition of past, present, and possibility.”
This video provides a quick demonstration of one of the quantum beads used in the phase-shifting textiles as it moves from our dimension into another.
For any gravitational concerns or runway relativity issues, please contact the IAIA Office of FASYSICS at communications@iaia.edu or (505) 424-2348. We promise our replies obey the laws of physics—most of the time.
RSVP Before FASYSICS Phases Out
April Fools’ Day!
We hope you enjoyed our 2025 April Fools’ Day announcement. For questions or comments, please contact communications@iaia.edu.
Happy April Fools’ Day! (April Fools’ Day is a customary day when people play practical jokes—a form of humor—on each other. Visit the following links for definitions and explanations of humor to incorporate into their learning process: Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, and Britannica).
Step into the future of fashion! Stop by the second floor of the CLE Commons (offices hallway) to pick up your free ring pop and accessorize with cosmic style—while supplies last!
If you enjoyed this year’s April Fools’ announcement, read about our Earn a Certificate in Artistic Indigenization of Artificial Intelligence (AIAI) at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) (2024), Bee Well Program (2023), IAIA Indigenous Arts Space Academy (IASA) (2022).
Institute of American Indian Arts
The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)—the University for Indigenous Creative Excellence—is the only college in the world dedicated to the study of contemporary Native American and Alaska Native arts. IAIA offers undergraduate degrees in Cinematic Arts and Technology, Creative Writing, Indigenous Liberal Studies, Museum Studies, Performing Arts, and Studio Arts; graduate degrees in Creative Writing, Studio Arts, and Cultural Administration; and certificates in Broadcast Journalism, Business and Entrepreneurship, Museum Studies, and Native American Art History. Recent partnerships such as those with The Walt Disney Company, Nike, The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), and NBCUniversal Media help students set down footprints in the creative community. IAIA serves approximately 500 full-time equivalent (FTE) Native and non-Native students, representing nearly 100 federally recognized Tribes. IAIA is among the leading art universities in the nation and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).