Sifana Shahzad

This past summer I have often questioned whether I am awake”

Journal entry, July 2026

Sifana Shahzad's collection 'Sleepwalking'.

‘Inside’ clothes; mismatched pyjama bottoms and oversized T-shirts – the clothes I have spent much of my life in are rarely discussed and are considered to exist outside of the fashion space, perhaps even embarrassing to be seen in. There is then the opposite of that – suiting, tailoring, “serious clothes”. The sort of clothes I imagine real adults wear as they take on the world with a crisp confidence mirrored by their lapels and pinstripes.

A vision of stumbling out of bed, half awake, half asleep, getting dressed in the dark in what turns out to an eclectic, hazy mix of those two polar opposite worlds of pyjamas and tailoring, I see someone stuck in between. Wanting everything to stay forever the same, like the terribly worn pyjamas you come home to, and aspiring to be cleaner, sharper, more proper, like those suits that can seem so distance.

This collection combines a softness in materiality and shape with details that are sharper to convey a lucidity outlined in the concept. It has been designed as responsibly as possible with natural  materials making up the basis of the collection, supplemented by dead-stock and up-cycled material. Using wools, cottons and jersey with a repeating motif of stripes – as seen in both pinstriped suiting and bedding- add a sense of structure and line the materials themselves balance out. Essentially a capsule wardrobe, with many pieces that are changeable to the wearer’s preference, the collection is designed to be worn in many configurations.

Employing a sense of both irony and sincerity, I aim to bridge the gap between these poles within fashion and to capture the essence of the confusion that many of us face as we stagger through the world, unsure, but trying our best to seem put together.

Xinyue Fan

Xinyue Fan's collection explores wind as both material and structure, investigating how invisible forces can distort movement, reshape silhouettes, and transform textile behaviour through tension, drag, and resistance. Referencing wingsuits and parachutes, the work translates aerodynamic principles into sculptural forms of wrapping, suspension, and weighted drape.

In 'Suspension' my primary focus was on the relationship between wind and the human body: in flight, wind direction shapes posture and movement, while also altering how fabrics stretch, lift, and fall. By observing how wind blows through fabrics and the human body from different angles—creating openings, tension, and drag—I translated these moments into clothing structures: wrapping, binding, and drooping. I also referenced the aerodynamics of wingsuit flying and parachutes—utilizing increased surface area to generate lift/drag and relying on anchor points like harnesses and buckles to distribute force—to understand how to incorporate the experience of being slowed, lifted, and guided by air into wearable structures. Early freefall experiments captured the dynamic dialogue between fabric and external forces; by repeatedly adjusting the stretching direction, anchor points, and fabric tension, I presented the directional force of the wind in the form of silhouettes and details, so that the clothing not only suggests flight but also embodies the state of the human body being propelled, supported, and guided by the air.

QiuYu Wu

 

"Looking back at memories and scenes from the early 2000s through my mother’s photo album, I became drawn to the constant sound of sewing machines running inside small garment workshops and the quiet endurance of female workers. This led me to explore that period more deeply, particularly the position and transformation of female identity and women’s social roles within working environments at the time.

I began considering how fashion could support this kind of visual expression, drawing inspiration from both industrial workwear and the self-expressive Harajuku styles that emerged in Japan during the early 2000s. I wanted to combine two contrasting clothing languages that carry completely different meanings. Workwear, originally designed purely for functionality and durability, embodies an industrial visual language through protective fabrics, reinforced construction, and practical tailoring, while also symbolising order and uniformity. However, as women moved through these environments, these garments gradually began to take on new meanings. In contrast, Harajuku fashion represented a form of self-expression for Japanese youth, not limited to women alone. On the streets of Harajuku, clothing became a radical tool for expressing identity. Layered silhouettes, vibrant colours, and unexpected styling transformed everyday dress into something playful, individual, and rebellious.

This collection explores the meeting point between these two worlds: the discipline of workwear and the freedom of street culture. Through exaggerated silhouettes, layered constructions, and unexpected details, traditional garments associated with labour are reinterpreted to express both strength and individuality. As women’s social roles continue to evolve, the collection asks: what happens when the language of labour uniforms meets the language of self-expression? Can workwear transform into a new symbol of female autonomy, presence, and identity?

Lightweight tulle fabrics and grey suiting-inspired textiles reflect my exploration of these two contrasting styles. Through the use of ruffles and hand-made pleating techniques, I create layered and alternating textures and forms. Sleeveless smock-like structures, apron silhouettes, and tailored shirt collars all extend the visual language of women’s workwear, bringing richer silhouettes and a wider range of colour and material expression into the designs." QiuYu Wu

Leonardo Martines I

Leonardo Martines's wonderful textures experiments in weaving and crochet. 

Hazel Gilroy

Hazel Gilroy's collection 'In Communication' combines wonderful designs drawing on historic workwear and knitwear, creating functional wearable garments. 

Catriona McLean

'Suited', created as part of Catriona's studies at Gray's School of Art. Is a collection built around characters who exist outside the boundaries of conventional society. The collection weaves together fashion, textile, and costume design to dress the complex, layered lives of those who reject, or have been rejected by, the mainstream. Drawing on themes of rural life, femininity, masculinity, queerness, and creative freedom, McLean interrogates how far the definition of suiting can be stretched when placed in the hands of self-expression. With a strong grounding in materiality and historic referencing, each piece is rooted in real life, art, and cinema, asking what clothing becomes when it is freed from its role as a tool of standardisation.

Catriona McLean

Catriona McLean's beautiful wearable collection for her graduation show at Aberdeen. 

Nikola Dzigda

'Where I walk' graduate collection by Nikola Dzigda.

" I remember as a teenager that my paternal grandfather once said, " women with skirts can run faster than men with their trousers down" as a sexist joke. Walking and sometimes running in the hills in a skirt is a revalation. An exercise in rare freedom. I urge you to try it. Trousers can bunch and pull on thighs, reining in the limbs and muscles, but a skirt is all space. A skirt is a modest, but commodious, version of a birthday suit. It seems to me that a skirt also holds promise of a different sort of material understanding: the same stretch of land seems altered when you navigate it in a skirt, you notice different things about it. A skirt is a kalidoscope, it brings different things into view. Isn't that what we need? to see the world more fully?" Nikola Dzigda