Level 6 Graduate Portfolio 2020

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TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

1. FINAL COLLECTION: LACRIMOSA................................................................................Page 4 2. COATS x RSC x GFW COMPETITION..........................................................................Page 12 3. KOI FOOTWEAR x GFW COMPETITION.....................................................................Page 16 4. BRITISH LIBRARY x CHARLES JEFFREY RESEARCH COMPETITION....................Page 20 5. WOMENSWEAR FOR HARRODS................................................................................Page 42 6. CHILDRENSWEAR FOR HARRODS............................................................................Page 49

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1 FINAL

COLLECTION:

LACRIMOSA

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acrimosa, Latin for ‘weeping’ is the title given to my final collection.

It has religious and classical music connotions; with the name part of the Dies Irae sequence in the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass and deriving from Our Lady of Sorrows, The Virgin Mary. Part of Mozart’s The Requiem Mass in D minor, 1791, a Requiem Mass for the dead, is named Lacrimosa with its lyrics telling of man’s deepest feelings of fear and dread towards inevitable death.

Originally inspired by the behaviour of the social classes, with their differentiation and integration through taste and consumption; an exploration into the fashions of the English Renaissance and Grayson Perry’s The Vanity of Small Differences took place. This research lead to a study into Dante’s Divine Comedy, with particular interest in Inferno.

The aim of the collection was to provide a subtle mockery of the practised differentiation of the social classes, demonstrating that the social classes are ultimately, not that different; and eventually all end up in the same place anyway (as per Dante’s Divine Comedy). The collection unifies the social classes through its imitation of contemporary and English Renaissance fashion techniques with an avant-garde and rebellious twist.

Although opulent, this collection is dark and provocative. Gothic by literary definition, Lacrimosa exhudes romance but maintains its mournful, melancholy mood. Gloomy eroticism is brought to life through references to Dante’s Inferno, reminding us that Death and Punishment will inevitably come for us all.

Lamenting the death of what once was; of fashion, society, order and disorder; Lacrimosa personifies The New.

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2 COATS x RSC x GFW COMPETITION

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he following pages have been curated to showcase the work undertaken in response to live competition briefs set by Graduate Fashion Week and the British Fashion Council.

The continuing chapter is my entry to the ‘From Stage to Catwalk’ Graduate Fashion Week competition in collaboration with Coats and the Royal Shakespeare Company. The brief instructed students to reinvent an RSC costume from any period or era into a ready-to-wear outfit.

Inspired by the the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 1949 costume for Oberon, King of the Fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the following prêt-à-porter womenswear ethereal biker outfit has been designed utilising components and threads from Coats.

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3 KOI FOOTWEAR x GFW COMPETITION

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n response to the Koi Footwear x Graduate Fashion Week live competition brief, the “$udo shoe” sock trainers have been designed.

Incorporating a mood of rebellion and anarchism into an amalgam of pop culture and techwear, the theme of malfunction and computer glitches encompasses the collection.

Inspired by the film character computer hacker, Lisbeth Salander, the code ‘sudo rm-rf’ has been used as a surface pattern for the trims; a joke to any gamer, computer or internet enthusiast that understands what it means.

As a 100% vegan brand, sustainability has been thoughtfully considered with Piñatex fabrics and the deconstruction and upcycling of trainers employed throughout the design process.

(For reference, ‘sudo rm-rf’ when typed into the Terminal deletes everything on the computer.)

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Image: Original artwork collaging the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925) with a screaming Janet Leigh from Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960).

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Image Above: The eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925) with own photograph overlayed.

Image Below: Own photograph from primary research trip to Imperial War Museum, London on 27/10/19.

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Image: Joseph Mallord William Turner, Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying - Typhoon Coming On), 1840

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Next page (left): Original artwork collaging the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925) with own photographs from primary research trip to the Imperial War Museum, London.

Next page (right): Original artwork collaging own photograph of Radio B92 music editor, Gordan Paunovic from Imperial War Musuem, London with his quote “Don’t trust anyone, not even us.”

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5 WOMENSWEAR

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HARRODS

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he following pages display some of the work produced under the label Laura Elizabeth of London for sale in Harrods. The womenswear collection matches the childrenswear collection in the next chapter with both collections targeted at the same customer market. This “Mummy & Me� range is becoming increasingly popular amongst the targeted demographic and both collections have matching dresses made from the same fabrics, for the same formal occasions.

The womenswear collection takes inspiration from Rubens and WGSN Trend Forecasting Dark Wonder. Although there is a matching menswear collection with the same design inspiration and accompanying Dark Wonder trend, this has not been included in the portfolio. The childrenswear collection in comparison does not follow any trend forecasts as it is timeless in design.

As is custom for all Laura Elizabeth of London collections, this AW 18/19 drop features a range of outfits for all occasions. With luxurious faux fur coats and capes, smart casual, formalwear, and a glamorous party collection that is red carpet-worthy, this collection is ideal for those that want to not only be seen, but remembered.

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6 CHILDRENSWEAR

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FOR

HARRODS

itled Wonderland, this childrenswear collection has been designed for sale in Harrods and matches the womenswear collection in the previous chapter, together becoming a traditionally timeless “Mummy & Me� range.

Wonderland is a childrenswear collection designed for the darlings of the elite.

With outfits for playtime, partytime, and for formal ceremonies, the collection caters for all occasions.

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