Flint James McDonald

Flint James McDonald's graduate collection at GSA was called; 'Son of a Tinker'.
I love this flamboyant challenging collection, it appealed to my fascination with folk culture, whilst Flint's use of sumptuous fabrics in opulent ruffles with fantastic finishes, utilised designs that held great humour mixed with historic referencing.
The use of cutlery in the headdress and in various accessories was genius, pertinent to the subject, but also adding an element of performance to the collection, with wearers clattering like surreal spoon playing morris dancers.

It was a stunningly conceived, designed and produced collection and I hope that this designer goes far.

"Acknowledging history as an active and abiding presence in the creation of contemporary life has been a recurring theme within my work - looking to antiquated codes of the historical mode and challenging the notion of binaries within sartorial regulation I question how ritualistic rites of passage associated with garment and gender distinctions, and toying with the very nature of their intent could provide an alternative means to socially normative expectations of gendered fashion.
Bettering oneself with delusions of opulence and living out-with one’s own means conjures the image of an individual whose own perceptions of self is duped with thoughts of grandeur.  These garments act as an attempting to emulate by-gone royalty of medieval times by utilising one’s surroundings whether it be the tearing apart of tattered floral upholstery to become a jerkin or the stringing of pre-loved cutlery around one’s head to draw attention to regal status -this collection is dedicated to the dreamer whose deluded proposal for life becomes reality." Flint James McDonald

Kimberley Tam

Kimberley Tam's graduate beadwork collection for textiles at GSA was an examination of heritage and being mixed race resulting in a zingy celebration of colour and texture.

"The combination of everything in the kitchen sink, such as soft furnishings, artificial flowers, broken jewellery, crystals that embody the variety of influences I had growing up and the people who have inspired me. " Kimberly Tam

Rebekah Rai

Rebekah Ria's exquisite costumes for Peter Pan.

"I reimagined 'the Tale of Peter Pan' as a contemporary multicultural ballet, representing how internationally beloved the story has become. I wanted my designs to fly away from the stuffy Edwardian setting and towards a modern and diverse world. To achieve this I incorporated silhouettes of traditional clothing and patterns from various ethnicities. My Tinkerbell design is constructed of organza and fibre optic filaments, giving the effect of a weightless and prickly ball of light floating about the stage." Rebekah Rai 

Aurélie Fontan II

Aurélie Fontan's graduation collection 'T E N S E G R I T Y //' was full of movement, the depth of plastic adding to this effect. Aurélie Fontan's work focuses on design for sustainability, exploiting both craft and technological innovations. This collection encompasses the wearer like a cage, creating an exoskeleton of plastic, a meccano like encasement. 

At the graduate fashion week Aurélie's collection was awarded the Marks and Spencer Womenswear Award, The Dame Vivienne Westwood Sustainable and Ethical award and the Catwalk Textiles Award.

"I am a very hands-on designer and the whole collection started from the materials I was using. Being able to create and manufacture my textiles from scratch was an exciting process. Specifically, I have worked in a science lab (Ascus Art & Science) that is the only public-access lab in the UK, and they have kindly allowed me to develop my bio-textile, so that I was able to grow my own dress." Aurélie Fontan

" TENSEGRITY is a collection that originated from the alarming effects that our human activities have on our environment. As a young designer, I felt that my responsibility lies in the active research of low environmental impact materials and processes. TENSEGRITY is a combination of the holistic approach I have taken through various design strategies, including Design for Disassembly, Design for Slower Consumption and Design for Waste Minimization.

The collection is based on several closed-loop systems, involving an alternative seaming method that allows different fabrics (wool, Modal, cork) to be separated when recycled. The range also includes bio-textiles, in the form of a grown fabric that is 100% biodegradable and put together with soluble cable ties made from corn starch. The garments themselves are mainly cut with a zero-waste construction of panels layered in tessellation. Moreover, the lasercut textures are created based on a double helix DNA waste-free pattern." Aurélie Fontan

Hazel Steven

Hazel Steven's graduate textile collection for ECA was driven by examining the visibility and invisibility of the self in regards to LGBTQ+ pride and equality. It considers how the current state of world politics may necessitate people to conceal their true identity for their own protection. Hazel's textiles were a contrast of vibrant, in your face, sloganized, sequinned extravagance, and subtle almost invisible concealment, with clear threads and sequins used on sheer fabric holding secret messages. 

Rhys McKenna

Rhys McKenna 'Orbital Agency Library': Configuration' 

"My research is driven by sculptural and painterly creative disruption in fashion cutting and modularity. My design work is a direct response to the crafting of a library of pattern components, each reflecting a diverse array of research interests. These include an exploration of the modernist sensibilities of Henry Ford and the explosive collisions of the Large Hadron Collider. I have also introduced methods of experimental improvisation and improbability advocated by the author Douglas Adams, whilst enacting painterly working methods of the Royal Court Painter." Rhys McKenna

Alison Wibmer

Wonderful woollen creations by Alison Wibmer for her graduate collection at ECA which won a Craft Scotland Graduate Award.

"Raw fibres are carded, felted, spun, embroidered, printed and dyed by hand in an extensive exploration of wool as a material. Through meticulous technical sampling, techniques such as hand spinning fibres, CAD embroidery, felting and print go beyond surface decoration to enhance the structure and functionality of wool, encouraging breathability, insulation and strength.​Each labour- intensive stage of process is to be celebrated. Looking closer at the shapes and patterns in process: the tools, materials and rhythms, inspires the aesthetic of the textile outcomes." Alison Wibmer