Alicia Hardesty: full-time fashion designer, part-time nerd.

Have you seen the movie Frankenweenie? It’s a black and white cartoon (an experiment in itself these days) with a very important message:

Don’t be afraid to do what you love and don’t be afraid to be good at it.

The main character is a smart, sensitive kid who is ostracized for his science experiments. Like the teacher says, people don’t understand science so they are afraid of it. Ironically, artists often deal with the same kind of misunderstandings from the public.

I’m not technically a scientist, but I do love to experiment and try stuff. I’m a fashion designer, which requires it’s own level of scientific conviction. I create, combine unlikely variables, hypothesize, and work within my own scientific method throughout my process.

How does this relate to you?

Project X Squared. Where art, science, and technology meet fashion to create a clothing line, much like an experiment, with the underlying hypothesis being that a quantum physicist, a neuroscientist and a fashion designer can create something tangible together.

We are not creating a fashion line to change the world. This is just a proof of concept, an example if you will, of what is possible when we step outside of our box. After all, Crystal, Spiros and I just wanted to hang out and learn from each other; we weren’t planning to start a company. Still, a first step was necessary…

We had to be open. Open to the uncertainty facing every explorer. Open to becoming masters of our domain – using that mastery to create surprising things in unlikely places. Open to a life of passionate pursuit of things that have real, tangible value. We don’t know what the highest ideals are in this world, but whatever they are (if such things exist), it is the journey that drives us to attain new heights so that we may get a better glimpse of this world’s infinite possibilities.

And so, like the movie Frankenweenie, this project carries its own message:

Find your passion. Become a master. Go out and play!

I have a feeling that there are others like us out there. Scientists and engineers, dancers and musicians, builders and innovators, young and old. Drawn to science, art and technology because of an insatiable curiosity about the world around us. I would love to hear from you in the comments – what would you like to see in our collection? what elements do you find interesting? where should we go from here? And, of course, if you like what we are doing, support our project and share it with your friends. Now sit back, relax and enjoy our Kickstarter video.

Editor’s Note: Alicia Hardesty, a full-time fashion designer and part-time nerd, is the founder of Original Tomboy. A Project Runway favorite, she brings her unique style to this out-of-the-box collaboration. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @originaltomboy.