Measuring tape, reams of zippers, and Power Rangers trading cards are not materials often associated with the worlds of high-end fashion and high-end art. In the hands of Chicago-based conceptual artist and fashion designer Cat Chow, however, they are transformed into elegant “sculptural garments” — wearable works of art made from materials most would never associate with clothing.
When she’s not teaching fashion classes at the School of the Art institute of Chicago, or playing various instruments — including a pink, electric Hello Kitty guitar — with painter friend Chris Uphues in electro-pop band Fashion Show, Chow is taking the DIY ethic to unheard-of elevations by creating clothes out of ordinary, everyday objects. And while Chow fully admits that hers aren’t always the most comfortable clothes — How about wearing a sandpaper dress to your next party? — her use of unconventional materials has critics from both art and fashion communities abuzz with praise.
For instance, take the common dollar bill. To create the highly noted Not For Sale, Chow carefully cut 1000 donated dollar bills into 25 strips apiece and then rewove them to compose a floor-length paper evening gown. The impression of minimal, elegant coherency upon initial viewing belies the structure’s staggering intricacy.
Or take the zipper. In Chow’s hands a zipper is not a constructional necessity, but a garment in and of itself, sewn together and zipped up until an entire dress emerges out of a single spool of zipper, such as the one pictured below. Chow’s first zipper dress, entitled undress, landed her top placement in the coveted Gen Art "Avant Garde" category in 2000.
“I inherited patience from my Buddhist father and obsessiveness from my mother,” Chow says of her attentive work ethic. “I find it very meditative and exciting as I watch the fabric grow and the piece develop.”
The transformation of ordinary objects into complex structures could all just be passed off as clever dexterity from a sure-handed craftster, but consider how Chow’s creations address issues of female identity, sexuality, and the multi-faceted dynamics between fashion, art, and commerce. Her other works include Yellow Power Ranger Kimono, a kimono crafted entirely out of Power Rangers trading cards — a wry, if not jabbing, statement that calls attention to the historically submissive status of Japanese women and the growing American fascination with modern Japanese culture. Another piece, entitled Measure for Measure, is made from lengths of measuring tape woven to create a checked housedress and calls to mind images of domesticity and traditional women’s work. Finally, a halter top entitled Interactivewear made entirely out of rubber baby bottle nipples both covers and emphasizes that which it was created to conceal.
The well-conceived titles of such pieces often hint at Chow’s revealing statements on cultural perceptions. “I enjoy coming up with thoughtful titles,” she says. “It adds dimension and strengthens the concept of the work even further.” Perhaps nothing better exemplifies Chow’s brand of provocative feminist commentary and linguistic wit than the three dresses in her White Dress Series: Trained is made up of interlocking white jewelry tags complete with a six foot train, Tied is composed of white sewing bobbins connected by twist ties, and Bonded is an updated version of Chow’s zipper dress, this time in white. Although at first glance, the suggestively matrimonial dresses may allude to bridal bliss, the sinister titles intimate a portrait of female captivity in societal roles.
....she regularly receives commission offers from both private collectors and large corporations, including a recent private commission for a custom-made, Bonded-inspired wedding dress.
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pretty interesting 
