BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear
Throughout my final year I have learnt to hone my design eye and see more of the bigger picture. How I interact and describe fashion is in an extremely emotive and feeling manner, which I express predominantly in a visual, tactile and verbal way. I have come to understand that for me it is not about the process of design development but the research and ideas behind the collection, which interest me more. âWhen I am researching, I absorb everything intuitively like a sponge. I âdrink it all inâ and internalise it in the world I am creating. Subconsciously, I start to make connections, patterns and links between the inspiration information thus creating a visual language. This then filters through in my sub-conscious and what is important to me gets stored up â thus becoming a cohesive concept. This internal world utilises my inner intuition and encapsulates all the feelings, sense and emotional reactions I have experienced. Through sourcing fabrics, researching, personal photography, drawings, exhibitions, looking at photographs, and listening to music, I am ever searching to gather inspiration to formulate my concept.â For AW 11 I wanted to create garments, which have lots of delicate layers of texture on top of each other, creating something like fur or an entirely new fabric made from fabrics that I have manipulated. I achieved this by hand dying and fraying silks and wool. I like the idea of taking something and giving it a new life or changing how it is percevied. I drew inspiration from Brassai's photographs particularly of 1930's Paris at night. Through his lens he documented the seedier side of Paris; the risque nightlife of the Parisian working classes. He portrayed his subjects of the underworld - writers, artists, pimps and prostitutes without pity or disapproval instead captured how life was lived. There is a sense of timeless nostalgia and captured life in these photos and later I also found it in the work of photographers like Johnathan Leder, Drew Jarrett and Guy Bourdin. Looking at 1920's perfume bottles and the new look for classic silhouettes as well as Matador's traditional costume for the rich embroidery and textiles. The garments became the result of drinking in all this inspiration and letting it filter through my subconscious into timeless key pieces that I hope will be treasured in the wearer's wardrobes. Currently, I am working on a jewellery line called Helen Elizabeth Accessories, which was born out of interest in developing pieces for my final year collection. The idea behind the accessories line is to create tactile luxury Womenswear pieces to be treasured but at an affordable price. The jewellery features components, which are usually associated with leather hardware and then combined with natural rope for a textured finish. This results in items that are truly unique and special with the ability to dress up any outfit. If you have any questions or want any more information, please email me (see below). www.helenelizabethaccessories.com helen.elizabeth.spencer@gmail.com *** Garments from this collection are for sale. If you have an enquiry about any of the pieces, please send an email to the below address. ***