Personal Professional Practice

Fashion Communicator An enthusiatic, hard working individual, a keen fashion graduate eager to learn and gain experience within the fashion industry.

Email: gmaccarron92@hotmail.co.uk

Contents: Hawes & Curtis: “The Perfect White Shirt.”

pg 6

Louis Vuitton: “I Am Luxury.”

pg 8

Made in Leeds: “The City Talking: May issue”

pg 12

I.D Magazine: “Diversity Now.”

pg 20

LCA X The Hip Store: Event Production

pg 22

Graduate Fashion Show

pg 24

Children’s Workshop

pg 26

H a w e s & C u r t i s - “The pe

6

erfect white shirt�

7

L o u i s V u i t t o n - “I Am Luxury�

Definition of luxury: A good or service that is not considered a necessity but is considered as something that brings pleasure or happiness.

8

I took inspiration from my travelling experience which made me open up my eyes to what luxury is really about.

“Luxury is Happiness” To me, Happiness is the luxury not everyone can afford.

No matter where you are in the world.

Luxury is everywhere and you can find luxury in anyone.

Happiness is the most important luxury in life.

Everything else is a bonus from hard work.

Create love. Create happiness. Create luxury.

“I am luxury” – Gabrielle MacCarron

9

10

My work was chosen by Louis Vuitton to be exh

hibited at their Leeds Louis Vuitton store.

11

M a d e i n L e e d s - “The city talki

12

ing May issue competition- PR�

Through looking at Made in Leeds and The City Talking’s aesthetics, I decided to look at long exposure photography to capture the buzz of the city as well as keeping the designer and the garment as the main focus.

13

14

After seeing all the amazing work created by the first year fashion students at LCA, I was personally drawn to Tyler Deakin’s original onesie and Bethany Walker’s conceptual top. I have got to know them both and found out their inspiration for making their products, and now I am even more drawn to them. With their fun and friendly personalities, it was a pleasure shooting them in their favourite location in Leeds. Capturing the liveliness of the city and photographing the designer modeling their own garments made them the main focus of the image. Here’s what they had to say when I caught up with them both:

Made in Leeds is an independent fashion brand, which is both a physical and virtual concept store that sells fashion and lifestyle products designed and made in Leeds. They also do International showcase events, pop-up stores and limited edition collaborations. These are just the first strides they have taken on the road to establish a fashion brand through the textile heritage of Leeds.

Leeds College of Art is an independent art school, one of only a few in the UK; the students studying here enjoy a small, close-knit community in a creative atmosphere giving them the freedom to believe anything is possible.

Both LCA and MIL are good strong representations of Leeds and believe in the potential young creatives living in Leeds.

Leeds College of art fashion students are bursting with fresh ideas and unique products, and will take any opportunity to showcase their talents.

This new exciting collaboration has givien the fashion students at Leeds College of Art an opportunity to experience real industry projects and work with talented industry people. It allowed the students to get a taster of life after LCA and give them a goal to pursue.

The first year fashion students had been set a live brief by the Made in Leeds team to re-create the Made in Leeds t-shirt. The original made in Leeds t-shirt was inspired by Leeds’ textile heritage. So now the LCA students have to put their spin on the original Made in Leeds tee. Inspirational ideas varying from their granddads war stories to yummy Yorkshire puddings with products varying from dresses to onesies. The students have certainly put their Leeds College of Art stamp on the Made in Leeds concept.

These innovative products show that given any challenge LCA will certainly rise to it and the Made in Leeds team have been fully involved in all processes, showcasing their work at Leeds Digital Fashion Week and choosing winners to be showcased in their City Talking newspaper.

Digital fashion week is an international event and is becoming huge in places like Singapore. Leeds Digital Fashion Week begun in October 2012 and continues to grow. It was brought to us by Hebe media’s Head of fashion Shang Ting and the concept of digital fashion week was to use digital platforms to showcase the story of Leeds’ fashion scene. This opportunity is perfect for our students as it’s a new and exciting event to capture Leeds fashion.

What was your inspiration for your Made in Leeds piece?

Tyler: When considering designs and ideas for my piece, I really wanted to be in keeping with the current style that Made In Leeds possesses while creating something entirely new so as to completely transform the t-shirt I was given. Therefore I took advantage of the continuing growth in popularity of onesies and created a very simple, yet effective, design that incorporated the existing t-shirt which was used for the logo on the back as well as the trimmings on the hood, pockets and sleeve hems.

The aim was to create something completely wearable as an extension of their current merchandise line. Unlike other adaptations of the brief, I decided to show a story through the photo shoot of my finished garment in terms of the location and meaning behind it, rather than incorporate very elaborate detailing and decoration within the actual garment. The garment was designed and made with the Leeds student in mind, as they are the future of the city. The onesie is intended as a product that they can lounge around and relax in whether they’ve been working hard at Uni or whether they’re recovering from a night out. The shoot was taken at the “Kitschen” café and, I feel the location emulates relaxation and comfort due to it’s laid back, retro interior where the wearer can sit and watch an old video from a selection of many as they eat. Not only this but the aesthetics of the outside reflected the style of the product and the youth perspective while the interior provided a retro setting to compliment and juxtapose the idea of innovative students and the future of Leeds.

Beth: My inspiration for my ‘Made in Leeds’ T Shirt came from reading my Grandad’s Diary from World War 2. I really enjoy working from inspiration and concepts, so after reading the diary, it gave me inspiration for colours and textures for the t-shirt. All over the front of the T-Shirt I stitched a 1 month documentation of my Grandad’s diary during World War 2. I used green and grey colours, as they are colours I personally associate with war. I created a contrasting effect with the colours compared to the detailing of the writing by creating a contemporary tie dye effect. I then bought plain white T-shirts and cut them up into strips to knit my sleeves.

I decided to knit my sleeves as researching into war; I looked at the ‘Make do and mend’ concept in which they used other garments to create new ones. This is the effect that I wanted to create with the sleeves.

I wanted to contrast the contemporary brand of ‘Made in Leeds’ with a historical theme that really means something to me.

What is your interpretation of Made in Leeds?

Tyler: For me, Made in Leeds comes across as a brand and collective whose mantra is to celebrate and promote past, present and future talent within Leeds in terms of fashion, music and art among other things. They are extremely patriotic to Leeds, aiming to showcase and share how much talent the city really does have to offer the rest of the world as well as embracing outside talent that is shared with them and spreading the love for all art forms.

Beth: To me personally, Made in Leeds represents all the talented, young people in Leeds and is a brand that gives everyone a chance to show what they can do. The brand embodies everything it means to live in Leeds, incorporated in the logo inspired by Leeds Textile Heritage from the City crest. They have also done collaborations with some of Leeds best artists and designers, which is good promotion for upcoming artists.

15

Where’s your favourite place in Leeds?

Tyler: I love Leeds as a whole it’s hard to think of somewhere that I like best but I’d probably have to say the Victoria Quarter. The architecture is beautiful and of course the luxury fashion stores provide a place for inspiration and self-indulgence.

Beth: My favourite place in Leeds would have to be Trinity shopping centre. There are so many places to shop from high street brands, to independent stores. I like how all the shops are very close together which makes it easier to shop and find your way around. There’s always something going on whether it’s advertising or street artists.

What’s your style as a designer/fashion student?

Tyler: My career in fashion has really only just begun and so I feel a signature style maybe hasn’t quite developed yet. However when I come to designing, and even styling myself every day, I like to be innovative and exciting with my ideas, following current trends while interpreting them in my own way and developing new trends. I look at existing styles and maybe try to interpret them in a different way in order to formulate a personal take on things. Avant-Garde aspects often work their way into my designs with heavy influences from pop culture icons like Lady Gaga as music is a huge source of inspiration for me. I like to experiment with digital pattern and print designing as it enables the creation of something completely unique, inspiration can be taken from absolutely anywhere and is something I really enjoy doing. Precision and perfection is also key for me. I’m a perfectionist and if something doesn’t look how I want it to or isn’t made to perfection then I’m not happy.

Beth: I think my style as a fashion student is very individual. I really enjoy the concepts of fashion and how designers have got their ideas to create their garments. From this, I really enjoy creating garments from inspiration and concepts as it makes me very excited designing and creating my work.

16

What do you like most about Leeds?

Tyler: There are so many things I love about Leeds it’s hard to pick exactly one. The short time I’ve spent here has been amazing, I’ve embraced the city completely and it really feels like more of a second home now than just a city where I chose to go to Uni. I love so much from simply the people, the architecture, the nightlife and the shopping but also the fact that there is so much on offer. There are always new things happening in the city and I really feel it is a leader in terms of innovation and embracing the future while celebrating the past.

Beth: One thing I like most about Leeds has to be the Street Style. I think the fashion of different people in Leeds is very diverse and each person has their own styles, which are all equally as interesting. I like walking round the city looking at different styles of people shopping in the city.

What do you think you could bring to Leeds as a new upcoming fashion designer/communicator?

Tyler: If I were to pick a few words to describe the way I work and what I have to offer I’d say: innovative, reinvention, ambitious, fresh, bold. I guess you could say I’m quietly confident. I wouldn’t say that I’m particularly amazing at what I do but at the same time I have the drive and competitive nature to be the best and stand out above everyone else.

Beth: I could bring a new voice, representing the next generation; their ideas, inspiration and atmosphere that’ll keep fashion moving forward with society, constantly bringing the newest ideas and vibes. I think I’d also bring my own individuality and my own unique sense of creativity to the fashion industry.

What do you think Leeds is missing in terms of fashion?

Tyler: I feel Leeds is pretty on point in terms of fashion and what is on offer. It has a certain signature style when you see people in the street and offers an extensive shopping selection from high street to luxury brands to vintage stores as well as the niche stores that appeal to all styles and personalities. What would be great to see are more fashion-based events in the city that I have yet to really see since living here. Perhaps things like designer showcases incorporating students from various universities as well as other passionate designers who either design as a hobby or have pursued a career in the industry. Things like this can see collaborations between universities, fashion brands/stores and even restaurants etc across the city as well as other art forms like music, photography etc. The possibilities are infinite and the outcomes can be quite amazing.

Beth: I’d say overall Leeds fashion has a lot of freedom for movement and interpretation for everyone, however the south is famous for a lot of high couture advertising, which Leeds is missing out on, even though it’s considered a buzzing fashion-wise city.

Written and Photographed by Gabrielle MacCarron

17

SHORT FASHION FILM

See video on: https://vimeo.com/94658953

18

PRESS PACKAGE

My press package includes, a printed Made in Leeds College of art t-shirt, a box, postcards, a CD with the fashion film on and the article.

19

I.D M a g a z i n e - “Diversity now�

I took inspiration from things in every day life, people calling people names because of their disabilities, looks or age.

Every day people get criticised for the way they are or look, why cant people just accept that everyone is different. Being different is what makes our world exciting.

20

21

22

I wrote this poem to reflect that no matter what I look like it, you shouldn’t assume that because of my looks I belong in that stereotype.

My imperfections make me who I am.

23

L C A X H I P - “Event Production”

24

Leeds College of art collaborated with The Hip Store, Leeds Trinity, to create a window display, a zine featuring photoshoots showcasing the clothes and an event. As a class we came up with the concept of Water. My role was on the Events team, as a team with came up with various ideas to have at the event but found that because of our low budget we had to make critical decisions. We decided to have blue cocktails to run along side of our water concept and we mixed them with scientific measuring jugs and wore lab coats to compliment the water molecule window display. We did all the promotion for the event, created the tickets and organised the after party at Oporto. We also set up the event and organised live singers to preform.

Overall the event was a great success and lovely evening.

25

F a s h i o n S h o w - “PR�

26

For LCA graduate fashion show, I am a part of the PR team, we are organising the promotion and invites for the event, hospitality including food, drink and goody bags, we are also dealing with getting sponsporships for the event

27

W o r k s h o p - “Teaching children�

Me and a few other students had to plan a workshop for primary school children, we had to do a presentation, plan tasks and help the children carry out the tasks.

28

29