Meet Student Designer: Kaine Bautista
Kaine Bautista is a recent graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, specializing in womenswear. Their work has been showcased in Perception at the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra and Éclat at the Epiphany Center for the Arts.
Investigation drives Kaine’s creativity, with craftsmanship as their right hand. They transform intangible themes of memory into tangible art through fabric and garments. Their
interdisciplinary approach includes conceptual research and mind-mapping, unconventional
silhouettes, and handcrafted textiles.
The hours spent crafting textiles allow Kaine to capture fleeting moments: the ethereality of
space in dyed organza, the gleam of metal in leather, a secret language within a print, or an
otherworldly texture in knit. Their work balances the ephemeral and the enduring.
Two years ago, they began working extensively with leather, crafting a studded basketball for Bulls: Art of the Game at the United Center. What once felt like a challenge has since become a favorite medium—its meticulous processes, from hand-skiving to stitching, are deeply meditative.
