Interview by Sreya Nair | Photographer: Isabelle Sherman & Vivian Ye
Coming from Venezuela, Maia Hirsch was always a fan of fashion. As she navigates her robotic engineering career and completes her degree at Cornell University, Hirsch has used her knowledge of wearable technology to produce unique designs that are both aesthetic and functional. Using her platform on Instagram, Hirsch aims to inspire young women to pursue careers in STEM by sharing her experiences and creations and showing the vast possibilities of engineering. Hirsch spoke with NYOTA about her design inspirations and the journey that motivated her to use her platform.
When did you become interested in intersecting fashion and engineering? Where do you see these two entities intersecting?
My interest in combining fashion and engineering came from my lived experience. Since I was 12 years old, I have moved between countries—Venezuela, Miami, Panama, and Israel. Now, I am in New York. With every move, I had to adapt quickly: learning new languages, navigating unfamiliar schools, and constantly rebuilding my identity. Through all of that, engineering gave me a sense of stability, while fashion gave me a way to express who I was and stay connected to where I came from.
I realized early on that fashion had a direct impact on how I felt. It gave me confidence, a sense of belonging, and even motivation. At the same time, engineering empowered me to build things that could improve the world. Eventually, I stopped seeing those passions as separate. Instead, I started imagining what could happen if we used engineering not just to solve problems but to create beauty and emotion through what we wear. To me, fashion and engineering intersect in the ability to design garments that are not just wearable—but alive. Clothing that responds to your body, your environment, and your emotions.
In today’s world, people often define these industries in black and white terms – how did you overcome these strict definitions?
I used to feel that tension a lot, especially as a mechanical engineering student, where aesthetics is often seen as secondary or even unnecessary. At the same time, in creative spaces, engineering was sometimes viewed as “too rigid” to belong. But my own identity didn’t fit into either box. I overcame these strict definitions by refusing to compromise either my technical curiosity or my artistic interest. I leaned into both and started creating projects that made people stop and reconsider what engineering could look like. When someone sees a dress bloom with a handshake, the line between art and tech begins to blur—and that’s exactly the point. I think people need to see these kinds of projects to challenge old assumptions. That’s why I share my work on social media and speak publicly about my journey.
What are important aspects you take into account when designing your looks? How do these reflect – if they do – your personal choices in style?
My pieces are meant to be seen, to spark curiosity, and to invite interaction. I’ve always been extroverted when it comes to fashion—I don’t shy away from attention, and I love using clothing as a way to express emotion and challenge norms. So, naturally, my designs tend to be bold and performative. But beyond aesthetics, I think deeply about how the garment feels, both physically and emotionally. I ask: will this inspire awe? Will it make someone stop and smile? I consider factors like movement, interaction (can others participate in the experience?), and symbolism (what message is the garment sending?). In the end, my work reflects a desire to turn the act of getting dressed into something magical, where fashion becomes a stage for humanity’s technological advances.
What is your process of design? Do you begin with a mechanism you’d like to implement into a design, or the more artistic aspects of your design wanting to create a certain garment?
It really depends on the project, but most of the time, I start with the feeling I want to evoke. I ask myself: what’s the story? What does this garment need to say or make someone feel? From there, the visual concept starts forming, usually with sketches that guide the movement and visual I want. Once I have that vision, I dive into the engineering challenge: how can I actually build this? Other times, it starts the opposite way if I’m excited about a new material or mechanism. Then I’ll start from that technical side and ask, what could this become if it were beautiful? Then, I build from there. My process is iterative, and I don’t force a strict order.
“I want to show that engineering isn’t just about machines—and there is so much room for creativity and imagination. And that fashion isn’t just about appearance—it’s about emotions and bringing people together.”
Many of your designs have some connection to nature – Peace Offer being a blooming flower, Chrysalis as a breathing dress, and The Flower Awakens featuring twisting flowers. I found this inspiration of nature interesting, especially because you’re using engineering, something seen as manmade and unnatural, to create looks based on natural processes of growth and breathing. What about nature to you inspires these designs – is this duality intentional
Yes, the duality is intentional. I love breaking rules, barriers, and stereotypes—especially the idea that technology is rigid, lifeless, and isolating. I use nature because it represents softness, life, and beauty—things we don’t typically associate with machines. There’s something powerful about using man-made systems to mimic what’s natural. When a servo mimics a flower blooming, or soft robotics mimic breath, it makes people pause—it blurs the boundary between organic and synthetic. That’s the moment I’m chasing. Nature inspires me not just because it’s beautiful but because it’s full of dynamic systems that are incredibly complex and full of awe. And at the same time, it’s a statement: femininity, softness, and beauty belong in tech. Just like robotics belong in fashion.
After some digging, I found that you interned at the Human Augmentation in Physical and Perceptual Interactions (HAPPI) Lab at Cornell which aims to advance the science of touch including emotional and social impacts of touch using engineering and computer science. How do you see haptics in their abilities to create an emotional and social experience through fashion?
Touch is one of the most powerful and intimate forms of communication—we rely on it for comfort, connection, and trust. At the HAPPI Lab, I worked on wearable haptic systems that replicate those experiences through soft robotics. In fashion, haptics would allow garments to go beyond being static or decorative, where they can communicate. Imagine a jacket that tightens like a hug when you’re anxious or a dress that gently vibrates in response to someone approaching you— clothing becomes a medium for interaction. To me, this is where fashion tech becomes human. It’s not just about performance or aesthetics—it’s about connection. And I think haptics has the potential to bridge that gap between engineering and emotion.
Many of your designs require some sort of interaction between the garment and the person, whether it is the wearer moving or interactions with another person to initiate the mechanics to work. Do these movements have significance to the overall meanings of certain designs? (Such as the handshake initiating the blooming dress for Peace Offer) Do you see the movements involved in the mechanics as integral to the meaning of the design?
Absolutely. The interaction is always part of the message. In Peace Offer, the handshake that causes the flower to bloom is a metaphor: peace requires mutual agreement and commitment. Without that interaction, the dress stays still. That’s the point; no dispute can be resolved if both sides aren’t willing to shake hands and work together. I think movement invites people to participate and to connect. Whether it’s the wearer moving or someone reaching out to engage with the piece, those gestures give the design meaning. It turns fashion into a conversation between disciplines and between people. To me, interaction is the core of the experience.
After some social media stalking, it is clear to me that you have a platform not solely to show your designs, but to inspire women in seeing the wide possibilities of engineering through titles like “Women in Stem” to feature your incredible designs. How do you see your role as a creator – in fashion, engineering, and social media – in inspiring others?
I see my role as a bridge. I want to show that engineering isn’t just about machines—and there is so much room for creativity and imagination. And that fashion isn’t just about appearance—it’s about emotions and bringing people together. By combining the two, I hope to expand people’s understanding of what both fields can be, especially for girls and women who might not see themselves represented. Social media has become such an important part of that mission. I share the process, the late nights, and the prototypes. I want people to see that your creativity and your technical mind can coexist and thrive together. If even one young girl sees my work and thinks, ‘Wait, I could do that too,’ then it’s all worth it. Because once you see someone who looks like you doing something you didn’t think was possible, the whole world opens up.
This story first ran in NYOTA’s Art is Life Issue. Read more from the issue here and purchase a print copy here
