At .Cent we do nothing but celebrate creativity and new forms of talent. Within June our monthly theme is bloom and with Graduate Fashion Week on how could we not look at new talents that will and may be the face of the future. .Cent and London College of Fashion, UAL came together to look at there students; Amelia Potts, Bora Nam, Dan He, Emily Grieves, Maria Giannekopoulou and Kate Donald to see who is blooming into the creative world.
Amelia Potts Ba Fashion Textiles
How do you create an original idea which blooms into a collection?
When I’m starting a collection I never think about how I am going to create an original idea because I feel that it restricts me. Be open and observant of what is going on around you. Make sure you have a camera on you, taking pictures when you see something that catches your eye, go to galleries and openings. I like to keep drawing all the time to develop ideas and get things moving. I think you should experiment and have fun. The mistakes are normally the best things that happen.
How does the chosen material and colour palette relate to the collection?
The collection was a collaboration between myself and designer Seokwoo Lee, and he’d been really influenced by a German film from the 30’s called ‘White Ribbon’. The movie explores ideas about social restriction, which are communicated really strongly and literally through the clothes the characters wear – heavy, traditional materials of uniform shades, oversized but restrictive. The use of rope, in the handmade pinstripe, is a re-appropriation of a material designed to restrict and restrain, with pinstripes themselves having a link to business suits and ‘professional’ clothing – an idea I’ve always found quite restricting.
How do you think fashion is going to bloom in the future?
It’s hard to know how fashion will be in the future as it forever changing and evolving. I think there is definitely a shift away from ‘trends’, collections are more a reflection of the designers’ original ideas, especially in London. New generations of designers will always be reacting against elements of what’s gone before. From a textile design viewpoint, maybe more of a focus on using original illustrations to communicate ideas more personally through print and embroidery.
Bora Nam BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear
How do you create an original idea which blooms into a collection?
I normally start by being nostalgic about things and think about why a certain culture and people in the culture are the way they are. I look into them, I study them and I feel them. I like to find something youthful or hopeful in them. I create a story. My collections reflect the way things are in my stories.
How does the chosen material and colour palette relate to the collection?
Colour palettes and material choices may vary depending on the concept and on what mood I want to deliver. However, I usually like to have few conflicting sides in my stories. So colour palettes end up being normally quiet with accents. I have my favourite materials work with such as satin cotton, cotton, organza and wool.
How do you think fashion is going to bloom in the future?
I think more and more people will be wearing exciting show pieces and accessible wearable pieces to mix and match for their everyday life encouraging young designers to be more daring and be smarter about turning show pieces into cleverly designed wearable pieces.
Dan He BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear
How do you create an original idea which blooms into a collection?
Experimenting with and studying the different qualities of materials and object construction has been central to the development of my concepts. My Graduation collection began with a piece of leather. The inventive construction of some contemporary accessories and mobile phone pouches currently available on the market has been the initial inspiration for this collection. The simplicity of the bold curved edges of the pouches, the molded shape of the cellphone and the way in which the form of the cell phone remains after the device has been removed is a primary significance here. The negative space transformed into the positive form due to the absence of the cellphone has potential for other types of garment.
How does the chosen material and colour palette relate to the collection?
In my collection, I would like to portray the mood of quiet and peacefulness, the feeling of emptiness (space). The monochrome neutral colours for the collection emerged form a range of photographer’s work, in the strong use of negative space to set the mood of quietness. By using these photographs, it has helped in building the balancing of colour and proportions towards this collection.
The selection of fabric and materials used in this collection is definitely a very unlikely and challenging combination. Delicate Fabric such as silk chiffon, tulle and organza will be combined with thick geometrical moulded leather pieces. A very fine and smooth texture will be created through the choice of fabrication.
How do you think fashion is going to bloom in the future?
Very competitive.
Emily Grieves BA Fashion Textiles: Knitwear
How do you create an original idea which blooms into a collection?
I love the initial research stage of creating a collection, It is the most important part for me when designing. I always find a concept which I can connect with on a personal level, I find this is the best way to be original. I am constantly inspired by art, news and politics. My most recent collection ‘Marra’ stemmed from the lack of community in todays society. I wanted to create a collection that revitalised the feeling of community. This led me to take inspiration from the fishermen Guernsey sweaters, where each region had its own pattern and identity. ‘Marra’ reflected these ideas creating personalised knitwear, taking symbols and words from my families place of origin Sunderland. The words are used to brand the knitwear in an intricate way, to add tactility, personality and a sense of belonging.
How does the chosen material and colour palette relate to the collection?
Colour is fundamental to my design process, I like to connect the colours to the concept. The colour for the collection stemmed from the Richard Rutt 19 century knitting manuals. The manuals are aged, the paper is golden brown and the print is a faded indigo blue, a contrast to the colour the manuals would of been at the time published. The more aged the manual becomes the more it is treasured. Denim was the main yarn used in the collection, it was manipulated through bleaching and dying so it appears aged and well loved. This connected to the concept as it added more personality to the garments.
How do you think fashion is going to bloom in the future?
I think fashion will keep developing towards a more sustainable future. I see more brands having collections made in Britain and I think this will continue to develop. I think people are becoming more aware of who is making there clothes and where it comes from, therefore fashion will become more about beautiful pieces, quality and not quantity.
Maria Giannekopoulou BA Fashion Textiles: Embroidery
How do you create an original idea which blooms into a collection?
As a designer I have always been interested in human senses and their interaction between them. I find them a unique source of inspiration and I based my final collection in the visualization of sound. The initial inspiration for this collection was the comparison of multiple sound recordings from the centre of Athens, which I am from, and the centre of London, which I have been living for the past three years. The process of deconstructing audio into visuals resulted into establishing the key elements that I wanted to express in my collection; movement, levels, layers, vivacity and change. Therefore I started allocating specific textures, colours and shapes to exact sounds in order to reflect them onto my textiles and garments.
How does the chosen material and colour palette relate to the collection?
Through recording multiple environments both in Athens and in London, sounds became visuals and colours converted to sounds. The sound of the metallic tube scratching the train rails became an oxidized grey with sharp edges. Therefore, the inspiration for the selection of the colours was taken from the recordings of the different environments and the materials involved in them. Pale earthy browns, representing natural sounds contrast the intense dark greys, reflecting mechanical and technological noises. As an embroidery designer I wanted to make a statement both with my colours but also with the manipulation of the fabrics that I used. In order to express the movement and change of sound, I created a collection based upon threads and their movement according to the body.
How do you think fashion is going to bloom in the future?
I think fashion in the future will revolve a lot more around time consuming, hand crafted textiles. It’s what makes a garment unique and interesting. The future will be all about originality and distinctiveness. Creating bespoke garments that reflect the individuality of the customer and make a bold statement via exquisite textiles.
Kate Donald A Fashion design technology (Womenswear)
How do you create an original idea which blooms into a collection?
It has to be something that is not consciously done. I have always started designing from an idea or drawing or image I have seen that captures my imagination and takes me down different avenues of experimentation through textiles, drawing and playing with shape. I think developing through rigorous exploration is key to the process of creating something unique and your own. For me I have always found that having a broad body of research imagery to reference back to really helps when creating different pieces.
How does the chosen material and colour palette relate to the collection?
I have quite a variation of colour and materials in my collection, but all the fabrics came from my references of the Pre Raphaelites and childhood messiness. The main focus of my collection is the enormous amount of organza, used to create the veil pieces that originally came from looking at images of John William Waterhouse and Rossetti’s ethereal paintings of women. I chose quite neutral colours with attention on the colour grey to contrast the colourful embroidery and bright knitwear pieces. The knitwear in my collection came from images of children’s hand me down jumpers and how they tend to be too big or too small, which is why I focused on size and bright colour for the two knit pieces in the collection, with playful writing and silicone lace to add the fun element in the pieces.
How do you think fashion is going to bloom in the future?
New opportunities in 3D printing and other technologies will open up new avenues of possibilities to create which are only going to keep getting better! I think pieces are also becoming more avant-garde and daring. Its great to see people pushing the boundaries and I’m excited to see what the future of fashion holds.
Dan He BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear
