Rebecca Murray
Portfolio
Contents:
// M
a t r i a r c h y
- Graduate Collection
// I n j u s t i c e
- For Dover Street Market
// E n d a n g e r e d
- For Christopher Kane
// O
c e a n i c
Impacts
- For Addidas
// M a t r i a r c h y D i f f u s i o n
- For H&M
// Matriarchy // // R.M
urray
- Graduate Collection
//
// The Brief // If the world ceased to exist as we know it and lay in ruin, what would fashion devolve to become? More importantly, if everything destroyed by masculine greed was taken over by women, what would that image of fashion be? Matriarchy explores this idea of a dystopian wasteland and presents a vision of the future, one where women have taken over and are the sole warriors of the world. This is a world where fashion isn’t governed by labels and every woman is her own hero. A world where the practicality of what you wear is just as important as the overall look. Designed for Autumn/ Winter 16/17, this collection aims to present a vision of the future set to inspire the rebellious young and the revolutionaries of the past. The women of the future need to always be prepared for any obstacle, meaning silhouettes must be simple and unfussy. This means focussing on practicality rather than complicating or restricting the wearer’s movement in any way. This can be taken from the simplicity of the Artisan trend found in the WGSN trend forecasting reports. These reports focus on placing an emphasis on personal craft as well as loose, layered silhouettes that benefit the wearer through practical outerwear. Much like Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), the collection attempts to convey a sense of feminine superiority against the usual gender constrictions. This is portrayed through subtle asymmetric shaping along with luxury modern twists featured in fabric and details. The final pieces should be easy to move in allowing for the possibility of fast movements and potential combat. This is reminiscent of the modern woman’s ever-increasing ability to break free in a complete contrast to the many corseted pieces of the past. Layering will play a key role in ensuring all climates are tailored for, as it is important to ensure that the woman of the future is ready for any obstacle whether that be a hot desert sand storm or harsh winters. The garments should be able to lend warmth but in no way restrict the wearer.
Fast wrapping techniques and additional lengths of material help strengthen this idea. Leading on from this, fabrics have to be durable yet strike that balance between nature and being contemporary. Soft lightweight silks and striking treated leather help to marry this idea together with the other performance based fabrics that are both waterproof and woollen. Looking at the work of Rick Owens and Ann Demeulemeester, the designer should be inspired to be experimental in the design approach, taking inspiration from their past use of luxury materials and their conceptual story-telling methods. Design details must all be in aid of utility, showcasing a wide variety of pockets as well as creative fastenings and other potential storage details. These are essential to the DIY aesthetic as it provides the garments with more functional uses. Prints must infuse the collection with a sense of destruction and corrosion aiding in the visual representations of a world falling apart. This can be pulled from a wide variety of inspirations including the exploration of abandoned buildings and creative experimentations through mixed media and sketches. The chosen colour palette must pull from the earth in keeping with Autumn/Winter 16/17, creating a deep connection to nature through a variety of tones that create a vision of a warrior. Greens play a vital role being the main base colour that ties the roots of the work to the earth. Vibrant oranges are taken from the rust of man-made materials as well as the sand dunes found within the adaptation of the 2015 film Mad Max. Flashes of metallic should create a sense of industrial workmanship, highlighting the DIY edge within the ethos. Finally, pitch blacks should remind onlookers of the dirt of the earth and help connect the rest of the palette together. Finishings and construction should be considered highly important taking into account the luxury experimental womenswear market where the collection should endeavour to fall. The finishings should be suitable for this market within final fabric choices and garments should be lined wherever possible. Despite being a craft-infused collection, there should be no raw edges and fastenings should be cohesive throughout. Designs should consider a primarily female target market but with a hint of gender fluidity brought forward by the idea of potentially no limitation on gender in the future. There is no age range as a woman’s ability is not limited by a number, only by how she sees herself. The collection should display a vision of an empowered women to influence women of any age to take part in this revolution. The modern day woman should not consider herself constrained by the limitations of the past. Matriarchy gives her the platform to throw herself into the future of woman’s emancipation and ignore societies restrictions proving that this collection has no boundaries.
// Colours //
// Fabrics //
// Final Line Up //
// Look One//
// Look Two//
// Look Three //
// Look Four//
// Look Five //
// Look Six//
Photographer // Suzanne Heffron Hair // Studio Assisstant // Ian Fallon Make Up // Evie Belle Sim Garments // Styling // Rebecca Murray
// Look One //
// Look Two //
// Look Three //
// Look Four //
// Look Five //
// Look Six //
// Injustice // // R.M
urray
- For Dover Street Market
//
// The Brief // A celebration of the female body married with hints of a feminist-political statement against the injustice seen from the rejection of the tampon tax amendment. Inspiration stemmed from the photographic works of Shae Detar which celebrate the feminine nude through powerful representations that remove sexuality from the equation and amplify the femininity through pastel washes. This combined with the A/W 2016-17 trend of elemental gives the collection a natural yet wild atmosphere. As a final ode to the woman, the collection is a mocking visual representation of the inequality of the tampon tax. This is illustrated through luxurious materials, paired with delicate embellishments and a carefully selected print. Designed with Dover Street Market in mind it fits in with their aesthetic of bold stand out works that get people talking and are a hit with the urban arty consumers that choose to shop there. To strengthen the message of equality there is no market in regards to age; as any woman should be able to wear what they like and feel empowered. Like the Guerrilla girls protest artwork, there is a hint of tongue in cheek humour. Being a very female orientated collection with an equality vision in mind; it is a stand against the ratio of male to female designers stocked within the store. The colour palette is a combination of the trend palette and the work of Shae Detar. Opaque layers give a base for soft pastels paired with a canyon red, which is made more prominent from the translucence of the other fabrics. Silhouettes take courage from the soft curves of the female nude and fabrics are a combination of sheer, synthetics and light insulation for Spring.
my body is
not a
LUXURY
// Fabrics //
// Final Line Up //
// Look One //
// Look Two //
// Look Three //
// Look Four //
// Look Five //
// Look Six //
// Endangered // // R.M
urray
- For Christopher Kane
//
// The Brief // A deep appreciation for the earth and a fear for its demise inspired this collection combined with elements taken from the predicted S/S 16 trend Eco-Active which focuses on an idea of ‘’Ecocide’’ and the destruction of our own resources. The aim is to raise awareness of problems humankind has caused endangering animals and the environment. This is evident through graphic symbolic prints that have a do-it-yourself visual edge. Prints are the main focal point of the collection, as they aid in illustrating endangered animals and the problems they face. This combined with carefully selected raw and sustainable fabrics; help push forward an idea of preserving our earth and eco systems. Designed for Christopher Kane it keeps his usual bold colour palettes as well as creative pattern work; helping influence the simple textures and personal hand designed print details present in previous collections. Pattern work is directly inspired from a poaching illustration by Vicky Leta and works on taking shape inspiration from stand out areas of the image, for example; the shotgun. Silhouettes are simple and unfussy to keep in line with the usual market for his work; but have a rugged sport look in keeping with predicted trends. The collections colour palette is infused with neutral earth tones; representing a link to the earth which forms a base for wild yellows, blood oranges and vibrant emerald greens; all of which help bring the prints to life and come together to create a visually striking collection.
W
Fashion is the third most polluting industry in the world
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// Colours //
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// Fabric //
// Final Line Up //
// Look One //
// Look Two //
// Look Three //
// Look Four //
// Look Five //
// Look Six //
// Oceanic Impacts // // R.M
urray
- For Adidas
//
A S/S 17 sportswear collaboration for Adidas; aimed towards both men and women, there is a mix of both professional water-sports garments and commuter wear pieces. The idea was to find a niche within an already widespread market. Surfing was chosen as it had personal connections to the designer, as well as being an area that had not been broached before by Adidas.
// The Brief //
Adidas is currently one of the most sustainable sporting brands on the market and having recently made a move to do more for the oceans with their line of footwear in partner with Parlay for the Oceans�, it was fitting to further progress this. Currently there is only one main competitor working in sustainable water-sports, so there are many different options for improvement to keep ahead of competition such as modern panelling and exclusive prints. The designers style helps lend a contemporary feel not seen in water-sporting garments before, focussing on applying world issues to the aesthetic. This particular concept keeps in with the idea of protecting reefs and highlights the damage ocean pollution is causing. This fits well with the predicted S/S 17 trend of ‘Encounter Culture’ which pulls inspiration from surf-culture and the importance of sustainability in an attempt to motivate humankind to clean up the oceans. Colours focus on a high Summer impact representing the neutral tones of the earth with explosive mangoes and an array of blues, complete with gold sand inspired accents that appear in prints. Silhouettes for the commuter are stripped back and oversized; fitting in with the relaxed surf vibe. Protecting the ocean shines through with recycled technical fabrics like Geoprene as well as hydrophobic nanocoatings helping keep the level of sporting professionalism Adidas is known for.
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// Relaxed and Sustainable //
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// Colours //
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// Fabrics //
// Final Line Up //
// Look One //
// Look Two //
// Look Three //
// Look Four //
// Look Five //
// Look Six //
// Matriarchy Difussion // // R.M
urray
- For H&M
//
The Graduate collection ‘Matriarchy’ diffused for a collaboration with H&M for A/W 2016-17. Inspired by visions for the future of a society ran by women; women taking their rightful place in a world destroyed by mankind, and exploring what this would mean for fashion if designs were stripped back for functional uses.
// The Brief //
H&M Conscious is a store concepts focusing on providing a comprehensive range of garments that are friendly to both the environment and to consumers’ pockets. The original collection had a lot of time dedicated to the construction, so it was important to simplify this so that costing for the market level would be appropriate as well as re-thinking fabric choices to more commercially friendly options. The theme was re-contextualised to be more about what the H&M consumer looks for. To keep in with the idea of sustainability, pieces had to be easily mixed with each other; as well as being completely wearable with wardrobe staples the everyday consumer owns. A common occurrence in H&M’s designs are basic prints, therefore one of the original designed skull motifs was re-worked from the collection research inspired by the film Mad Max: Fury Road. This was applied in a repetitive pattern than could be printed cheaply. Colours remain strong with the original palette but with slight changes bringing in more hunter greens to create a link to the earth, helping channel it’s need for conservation. Panelling remains important within the collection but has been reassessed to become less complex and more wearable for the everyday consumer.
// Dystopian Ruin //
// Colours //
// Fabrics //
// Final Line Up //
// Look One
// Look Two//
// Looks Three and four//
// Looks Five and Six//