Zahra Sooty Hosseini Collection 2015
Zahra Sooty Hosseini is a Fashion Design BA (Hons) graduate from Manchester School of Art. This is her debut fashion collection entitled “Entrapment� which explores surreal and dark aspects of enclosing the human body form with an array of creative and mysterious cuts, patterns, materials and concepts to produce an over all mesmorising aesthetic. She is attending the Royal School of Art in London in September to study a masters degree in Fashion Design.
Fashion is not only what we wear but describe ourselves to the world. Avant-garde, creative, and experimental are words that best describe me. As a young contemporary designer I enjoy pushing boundaries. I enjoy taking risks creating complex technical garments, which is something that drives me forward to have a career in fashion. I thrive from creating new experiences for the audience, as well as creating new ways for people to wear wearable art. Sculptural detailing has been created around the shape of a female body, clearly seen throughout my work. This is something that I am constantly driven back to. It is complicated and takes time, but progresses to become really exciting when the garment goes from a dream to reality. Inspired by shape and form, my work tends to mostly focus on shape making it a performance art piece. I’m fascinated with fusing together fashion culture and performance art and having my creations to speak for themselves.
My imagination plays a massive role in my designs, it’s exciting to explore my own mind and let the freedom of expression take control. Life journeys and experiences also play a big part in my inspirations for my design and development of constructions. In my past experience I have had the opportunity to work with two successful designers that have always been very influential in my own practice, Gareth Pugh and Aitor Throup. Both placements were extremely beneficial and they helped me gain and develop my practical skills vastly. As a 3-dimentional and sculptural designer, Pugh’s internship helped me to grow my 3-dimensional techniques. On the other hand Throup’s internship helped me understand the wearable side of the fashion industry more. My wearable vision definitely grew and I learned how important it is to have a balance between avant-garde pieces and wearable. — Sooty Hosseini
Sculptural 3D sleeved leather top and trousers: Moto and pig suede leather. The second look consists of a fitted top with a structured neckline. The combination of 3D sleeves and mimicry of moving accordions has been the main inspiration for these trousers. The scale and proportion of the accordions have been exaggerated to explore the movement within the fabrication of the garment.
Inspired by body entrapment the 3D sleeves have been heavily constructed around the neck to indicate the many forms the body can be constructed. Special thick Moto leather has been used to create this look as it was able to sustain the sculptural structure.
Short lamb fur sleeved dress: Lamb Nappa, stretched leather, pig suede and lamb fur. This look has been kept more wearable with dress being kept very simple but slick at the same time.
In order to bring a little bit of innovation into the dress but without the harshness of thick leather, suede has been carried for the sleeves.
Long sleeved sculptural leather/ fur dress: Stretched leather, moto, goat fur, and lamb fur. This is the look with the most exaggeration of 3D sleeves being used. Goat fur trimmings have been sewn on every back sleeve for a more luxurious and dramatic look.
Raw edges have been sewn throughout the garment to help with structure and more professional finish. The use of the red fur has been introduced in this outfit to create a more luxurious look. For a tighter fitting stretched leather was use on the side and back panels.
Sculptural long sleeved leather jacket and shorts: Moto leather and goat fur. The sculptural forms of the previous garments have been developed further within this look as a wearable jacket and eccentric goat fur shorts.
This look introduces textured leather into the collection for a more tactile garment. The jacket has been kept minimalistic to introduce the shorts as the statment piece.
Sculptural long sleeved leather dress: Lamb Nappa and Butt split leather. The first look of the collection simulates the feeling of entrapment and being trapped by sculptural sleeves. The 3D hand sewn sculptural sleeve wrapped around the dress can also be used as an accessory, which helps to create a multifunctional garment.
Many panels have been constructed on the dress to create the fitted shape. Each panel has been cut and sewn using untraditional specialised leather techniques. There have been accordions constructed around the arms to emphasise the movement of the elbow opening and closing.
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Model Yasmin Aval Styling Sooty Hosseini Design Edward Shrewsbury Fashion Design Sooty Hosseini Art Direction Edward Shrewsbury Photography Edward Shrewsbury