About
Enclothed Cognition is a collaborative project by Dutch designer Bregje Cox and Barbadian visual artist Mark King. The duo met through mutual friends during Mark’s visit to Belgium in 2011. Five years later they embarked on Enclothed Cognition, working collaboratively thousands of miles apart, with Bregje in Brussels and Mark (currently in NYC) initially in Barbados.
Their collaborative project is inspired by the psychological theory of Enclothed Cognition. Particularly, how a garment’s symbolic meaning paired with the physical experience of wearing the garment combines to impact the wearer’s performance in everyday tasks. The project seeks to empower wearers by bringing awareness to the interplay between the clothes we wear and the built environment via bold patterns and unique approaches to traditional workwear and formal garments.
Bregje Cox specializes in futuristic storytelling through fashion. With her label NOIR NEAR FUTURE, she has collaborated on interdisciplinary projects that seek to combine fashion, science, psychology, and technology with a strong focus on human behavior.
Mark King is an interdisciplinary artist whose work encompasses photography, installation, fashion, and sculpture. The interdisciplinary nature of his practice encourages collaborations that span a range of disciplines. At its core, his artwork addresses the underlying forces that guide our behavior.
Exhibitions, Tradeshows & Workshops
INTERNATIONAL AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM
Our jacquard-woven IMMERSION kimono, shirt, and trousers are currently on view in the Atlantic Worlds exhibition. It’s an honor to be included in the permanent collection of an institution that celebrates the African diaspora through art and artifacts.
The IMMERSION pieces take inspiration from workwear and traditional formal garments. The woven pattern is informed by the wrought iron garden bed frames found throughout Barbados.
TATE MODERN LONDON
In October 2019 we ran a four day workshop where we invited participants to create bespoke patterns and mood boards.
The workshop also provided in-depth insight into Enclothed Cognition’s unique collaborative process whilst empowering participants to forge their own dialogues and narratives.
DUTCH DESIGN WEEK 2022
Developed an installation showcase for our EMPATHY coat and META t-shirt in Europe’s largest design event.
CUBE DESIGN MUSEUM
Multiple pieces from our collection were exhibited in the 2018 Showroom Limburg exhibition, which highlighted designers affiliated with the region.
BONNEFANTEN MUSEUM
The AUGMENTATION hybrid kimono was exhibited alongside a vintage liturgical robe in the museum’s 2018 “Koorkappen en designs” exhibition
Collaborations
Tori Lawrence + Co. x Enclothed Cognition
“ELSEWHERE” by filmmaker/choreographer, Tori Lawrence, is a stunning experimental film that features bespoke Enclothed Cognition garments. The collaboration between Tori Lawrence + Co. and Enclothed Cognition spans multiple films and live performances.
Tori Lawrence + Co. creates immersive site-specific dances, interdisciplinary performance installations, and dance films that explore the space between media and the relationship between body and environment. It is this shared interest in the relationship between body and the built environment that has laid the foundation for our evolving collaboration. The activation of our garments and their respective surroundings through dance and film has revealed expansive worlds of possibilities.
Dancer, Ellie Goudie-Averill
Clothing Design: Enclothed Cognition
Sound Design: Light User
Filmed with a Beaulieu 4008 Super 8mm camera using Kodak Ektachrome film