PSYCHEDELIA

V

A COLLECTION FOCUSING ON A COLLABORATIVE CREATIVE PROCESS AS A CELEBRATION OF MY SEMESTER ABROAD IN AMSTERDAM.

PSYCHEDELIA is a collection that comes of the back of a mini-collection that was about creation as a method of removing myself from the place I was in at the time. It was my response to the isolation I felt in quarantine as I mourned the loss of experiences I was supposed to have on exchange in Amsterdam.

Upon reflecting on my time abroad, I instead, sought inspiration from the city of Amsterdam itself. I decided to take the visual aesthetic of my collection down a more trippy, psychedelic route, referencing Electric Ladyland, the fluorescent art museum.

For me, the creation process was no longer a distraction but a celebration of the experience I did have. I worked in collaboration with graphic designers MONB and allp.des in order to enhance my pieces with bold, eye-catching prints.

A key influence for my collection was Matisse’s work series “The Cutouts,’ in which he uses fluid and organic lines, bright, eye-catching colours and natural silhouettes and shapes, all of which feature in my garments.

My aim is to show a journey through my graduate collection. From isolation and grief, to a place of acceptance, re-emerging with a sense of celebration.

Despite the many difficulties I was faced with over the course of this project due to the global pandemic we are currently experiencing, I have been able to create a collection that completely embodies my identity as a fashion designer and reflects both my bold design aesthetic and my modern, striking stylistic choices.

COLLABORATION

Matisse’s use of colour and line in his work series “The Cutouts” heavily influenced the designs for my collection. The fluid and organic nature of line intrigued me and created lots of interesting shapes. The bright combination of colours he uses are engaging and impactuful and so I drew on this for inspiration too. I focused on the theme of collaboration and one of the driving influences behind my collection. I worked with graphic designer Bel Monarca from MONB to design this psychedelic print to be featured

MATISSE “THE CUTOUTS”

throughout the collection.

MATERIALITY

One of the biggest influences on my design identity and design direction is my use of materiality. I used the properties of structural fabrics including neoprene and scuba to inform architectural, sculptural forms

CREATIVE PROCESS

KNIT

By taking a knit specialisation on my semester abroad, it allowed me to work in a completely new space as I haven’t previously worked with knit. I explored the use of scale, featuring this chunky knit sleeve in my graduate collection in addition to a smaller, detailed, refined knit panel in the back of one of my garments.

CRAFT TECHNIQUE

By also taking a craft specialisation, I did a thorough exploration of the traditional English Smocking technique, and featured it throughout my collection by combining with graphic prints in order to modernise it and cohesively incorporate it into the rest of my collection.

PATTERNMAKING

Patternmaking was an essential part of my design process as it was key in ensuring the materials held their desired sculptural forns. As a lot of the silhouettes featured in my collection are off-the-body, the patternmaking required a lot of experimentation before I achieved the right outcome.

TOILING

Toiling was a crucial part of my creative process as it allowed me to experiment and test out different cuts and silhouettes so that I produced the most effective outcome possible.

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