Tag Archives: Graduate Fashion Week

Lauren Smith – fashion gold

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After Graduate Fashion Week in June, Lauren Smith was the name on everybody’s lips as the young Scottish designer walked away with the coveted George Gold award. After recently graduating from Edinburgh College of Art with a BA in Fashion, Smith is now set to complete an MA in Textiles back in Edinburgh.

Yesterday, Frost caught up with Smith while showcasing her collection at the Graduate Showcase for Vauxhall’s Fashion Scout.

The 3 pieces you have on show today were taken from your graduate collection, what were your inspirations behind this?

My collection has been heavily inspired by the work of Dieter Roth. Two of his collections, “Diaries” and “Work Tables” are specifically important. I am intrigued by what we leave behind i.e. our thoughts, workings and secrets. As seen in his collection “work tables”, Roth discovered that what was left behind on our desks etc was actually sometimes more interesting than the final works. The sketches, scribbles and notes left aside aren’t planned or organised and it is this aspect I wanted to bring into the garments.

 

Roland Mouret described your collection as ’emotional’ – do you find that your personality comes into play a lot when you’re designing?

I always like to make my work personal, I feel like it’s the best way to introduce myself and work to the industry. I am so pleased Roland Mouret picked up on it with my graduate collection!

 

What materials did you use for your collection? Were these easy enough to come-by or did you struggle to source them?

I used a number of materials in the collection including leather, cotton canvas and cotton panama. The main focus of my collection was the manipulation and embellishments and so the materials weren’t particularly complex.

 

You won gold at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week – congratulations! – what are your plans now?

I have just started my MA in Textiles at ECA and am really looking forward to exploring a combination of textiles and fashion.

 

Where do you want to take your designs in the future?

I haven’t got a set plan for the future but I want to keep exploring and creating work that combines fashion textiles and illustration.

Inspire beyond fashion; how graduates are shaping fashion {Style}

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June each year is guaranteed to mean one thing, students are finishing university and moving on to bigger and better ventures.

Lisa Shaw's Labrinth

One positive of this is the exploration of the talent which is developing on from study to real world. New talent can inspire and define generations. A fantastic example of this is the work which is produced by fashion graduates on a yearly basis, this work is exhibited at the Graduate Fashion Week which was recently held at London’s Earls Court.

Labyrinth (Inspiration)

The  creations seen here are varied, exciting and completely unique, the work is, in a lot of instances, the first collection produced by a designer who is on the verge of releasing their designs into the public scene. Members of the public, press and highly regarded designers and fashion companies are all present to pick out their favourites and push these to the forefront of the public eye.
One thing that is ultimately inspiring is the way in which designers, graduate and fully established ones, can take inspiration from anything seen in day to day life. Some examples of this are collections seen from Lisa Shaw was inspired by the 1986 film ‘The Labyrinth’, through exploring silhouettes and shapes from the film she recreated them to fit the ready-to-wear market.

JLH (Inspiration)

The JLH collection was inspired predominantly by the urban, hip hop graffiti scene on the Brooklyn Subway, combined with the smart work attire seen on the London Underground, produced a bold and vibrant work style collection.

JLH

This kind of inspiration can be used generally in day-to-day life. Rather than using things you see as inspiration to produce clothing, use it to inspire the way you style your look. In summer, when seeing the abundance of colourful flowers, translate to brightly coloured printed shirts, dresses and skirts. Look at architecture, bridges, buildings, structure and translate to body-con dresses or waist-belts to clinch in that hour glass figure.

Gemma McKay's Inspiration

When taking a sunny stroll (wishful thinking but a girl can dream), down the river or down the sand look to the fluidity of the water and discover flowing fabrics and loose fitting garments which complement this, Gemma McKay’s collection reflects this style.

Gemma McKay

The inspiration doesn’t need to be literal, work with whatever appeals to you and mix it into your own style, if you see something you like think what does that remind me of. Don’t just look to fashion for inspiration, style can be much more of a lifestyle choice. Depending on how brave you are this could even be taken as far as hair cuts or colours, if you see a section of colour this could become a streak in your hair.

If your not the most confident, work with it, wear something tamer but just make it your own, chuck on the favourite shoes and immediately its yours.
Don’t disappear into the crowd, stand out it, forget soft focus and make it your own.

by Jennie Higgins