Rebecca Wilson

Rebecca Wilson's graduate collection for the University of Bournemouth

"For me, the most enjoyable part was trying to recreate worn looking garments with new textiles techniques, and become able to develop and sample techniques to create my own unique look.
My main influences were two photographers. The first being August Sander, looking particularly at the way he captured working class people in early 20th century life, and the second being Horace Warner and the Spitalfields Nippers, a collection of rare photographs of London’s street kids in the 1901’s." Rebecca Wilson 

Clancy Sinding Dawson

Clancy Sinding Dawson's 'The Vulgar is Tremendous Fun' graduate collection for GSA.

This collection goes so far as to be almost anti-erotic, in protest against the ‘sex sells’ ethic endemic in advertising and in the fashion industry. An attraction to vulgarity led me to my two main muses for this collection: Richard E. Grant’s character ‘Withnail’ in the film Withnail and I, and Rik Mayall’s character ‘Richie’ in the TV series Bottom. The behaviour of these two anarchic characters is wildly entertaining and curiously liberating for the viewer, but most importantly, they behave with shameless authenticity. Both Withnail and Richie reject society’s expectations of a ‘young gentleman’s’ behaviour and instead act with a complete lack of integrity. This has inspired the nonchalant aesthetic of my six looks. Drawing inspiration from archetypal feminine silhouettes, once favoured by rock legends Rod Stewart, Brian Jones and Mick Jagger in the 1970s, the purpose of this collection is to challenge our notions of beauty, masculinity and ‘manliness’, in the hopes of transforming our expectations of gender and sex roles for a more inclusive society. After all, as British milliner Stephen Jones says: “The vulgar is tremendous fun”. Clancy Dawson

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.