Designs by Flint Macdonald, Clancy Dawson and Megan Seaton presented at the Savoy Tower
images: McAteer photo
The latest cohort of Fashion Design students unveiled their Degree Show collections against the raw industrial backdrop of the Savoy Tower today, 30 May 2018. Ten talented young international designers showcased collections with titles ranging from The Vulgar is Tremendous Fun to - Absolutely Gentleman, Shimmering and Dirty and Creating tranquility.
 |
| Design - Jacob Pulley Photo Rydel Cerezo |
In his collectionJacob Pulley, from Cambridge, examines the relationship between The Prisoner and his Guardfocusing on the imbalance of power between the two parties within a social structure. “My collection investigates clothes that are worn to establish a role of power and those used to define an individual as being powerless,” he explains. “By combining elements of these garments, a balance of strength and vulnerability is achieved on the body and creates a dialogue about how the powerful and powerless grapple with each other.”
 |
| Design Rebecca Armstrong Photo Rydel Cerezo |
Rebecca Armstrong from Belfastexplores the theme of femininity through the eyes of the 90s grunge scene in herShimmering and Dirty collection. Rebecca has taken inspiration from the work of photographers such as Corinne Day who helped to pioneer this aesthetic in their fashion photographs, often labelled “raw” due to their use of harsh lighting a lack of retouching. The garments combine two contrasting elements of women's wear: lingerie and tailoring. “My collection looks to deconstruct traditional pieces and reassemble them as well as reimagining them in non-traditional fabrics,” she explains. “Use of fabric in this collection plays an important role in subverting traditional ideas on femininity,” she adds. Fabrics traditionally associated with femininity and fragility such as lace, tulle and silk satin, are combined with harsh synthetics and leather to create a juxtaposition between delicate and hardwearing, translucent and opaque.
 |
Design - Poppy Camden Photo Rydel Cerezo |
Poppy Camden’s collectionThe Revolution Will Be Live-Streamedlooks at the notion of accountability and the lack of transparency in modern politics through wearable misinformation intended to disorientate the viewer . “We’ve all felt it,” says Poppy. “An uncertainty, lack of trust in those in power, unsure of who to believe and with the stream of notifications, headlines and updates so constant we’ve become numb to their content.”
 |
| Design - Léa Bonaventure Photo Rydel Cerezo |
French designer Léa Bonaventure offers her Absolutely Gentleman collection. “The ‘Fin de siècle’ was recognized for industrialization and a feeling of modernization,” says Léa. “Women desired more rights, mobility and started to adopt elements of male style. Despite this, there was still a distinct separation between men's wear and women’s wear, reinforced by Victorian ideals.” Léa‘s collection combines the codes and attributes of English Ladies and Gentlemen, obsessively concerned with their changing place in society.
 |
| Design - Flint Macdonald photo Rydel Cerezo |
Flint James McDonald from Dunoon showcased a collection titled Son of a Tinker. “Acknowledging history as an active and abiding presence in the creation of contemporary life has been a recurring theme within my work,” says Flint. “Looking to antiquated codes of the historical mode and challenging the notion of binaries within sartorial regulation I question how ritualistic rites of passage associated with garment and gender distinctions, and toying with the very nature of their intent could provide an alternative means to socially normative expectations of gendered fashion.”
 |
| Design Morag Seaton photo Rydel Cerezo |
The starting point for Scottish designer Morag Seaton’s Memories of Dresscollection was interviews with people about their most valued clothes. “Each piece of the collection is developed from these stories and takes the key elements of comfort, security, identity and childhood memory,” says Edinburgh-born Morag. “The aesthetic draws from hand-me-downs, abstract artwork and 60s interiors.”
 |
| Design - Kelly Hawkins Photo Rydel Cerezo |
Kelly Hawkins from Derbyshiredissects the hierarchy of power within institutions in her Love Thy Neighbour Matthew 22:36’c collection. ‘This is an order which we all know yet mankind’s society cannot abide,” says Kelly. “The past decade has seen issues such as the Chechnya 100, the immigration crisis and continuing stigma towards mental illness and drug abuse. It is these recurring issues, which become the base of my research."
 |
| Design Fengqi Liu photo Rydel Cerezo |
Chinese designer Fengqi Liu has taken inspiration from the Terracotta army in her Armoured Warriors collection.“For over 2,000 years, an underground army of life-sized terracotta warriors secretly guarded the tomb of China’s First Emperor,” says Feng. “The garments on the terracotta army are made up of plates of leather linked and tied together. They were originally lacquered and brightly coloured. I have reinterpreted these details to create something modern and new while retaining some of the mystery of a vanished empire.”
 |
| Design - Clancy Dawson photo Rydel Cerezo |
In her The Vulgar is Tremendous Fun collection Clancy Dawson protests against the “sex sells” ethic endemic in advertising and in the fashion industry. “Drawing inspiration from archetypal feminine silhouettes, once favoured by rock legends Rod Stewart, Brian Jones and Mick Jagger in the 1970s, the purpose of this collection is to challenge our notions of beauty, masculinity and ‘manliness’, in the hopes of transforming our expectations of gender and sex roles for a more inclusive society” she explains.
 |
| Design Kyeong Jung photo Rydel Cerezo |
InherCreating tranquillitycollection Kyeong Jung from South Koreaaims to provide the wearer with a comforting and serene personal space. “Those who live in Metropolitan cities are surrounded by overwhelming, cold and grey buildings,” she explains. “They are also subjected to hordes of stressed-out people.” To achieve this tranquility, each garment is generously oversized and easefully layered. This protects the wearer both physically and emotionally,” she adds.
The designers will head to London this weekend where a number of the collections will be shown on the catwalk at Graduate Fashion Weekend. Following the London showcase the garments will be on show in the Reid Gallery at 2018 Degree Show until Friday 8 June.
For full information on the collections see Notes for Editors
GSA Degree Show 2018 is spreadover four venues: Architecture in the Bourdon Building, Design disciplines in the Reid Building, School of Fine Art over in the Tontine Building and MFA in the Glue Factory. Running concurrently with Degree Show this year is the Widening Participation exhibition in the McLellan Galleries, which for the first time features the full portfolios created by exhibiting students. Degree Show is open to the public from 2 – 8 June 10 am – 7pm Monday – Friday and 10am – 5pm on Saturday/Sunday. Entry free.
Ends
For further information, images and interviews contact:
Lesley Booth
07799414474
Notes for Editors
Jacob Pulley - The Prisoner and his Guard
The research for this collection looked at the relationship between prisoners and guards, focusing on the imbalance of power between the two parties within a social structure. The narrative investigates clothes that are worn to establish a role of power and those used to define an individual as being powerless. By combining elements of these garments, a balance of strength and vulnerability is achieved on the body and creates a dialogue about how the powerful and powerless grapple with each other. Experimentation with cut and drape has been used to further explore this volatile relationship.
Rebecca Armstrong - Shimmering and Dirty
This collection explores the theme of femininity through the eyes of the 90s grunge scene, taking inspiration from the work of photographers such as Corinne Day who helped to pioneer this aesthetic in their fashion photographs, often labelled raw due to their use of harsh lighting a lack of retouching. The garments combine two contrasting elements of womenswear: lingerie and tailoring. This collection looks to deconstruct traditional pieces and reassemble them as well as reimagining them in non-traditional fabrics. Use of fabric in this collection plays an important role in subverting traditional ideas on femininity. Fabrics traditionally associated with femininity and fragility such as lace, tulle and silk satin, are combined with harsh synthetics and leather to create a juxtaposition between delicate and hardwearing, translucent and opaque. Sampling forms the basis of my design process, used to explore and reinterpret details and manipulate fabrics to alter their textures.
Poppy Camden The Revolution Will Be Live-Streamed
We’ve all felt it. An uncertainty, lack of trust in those in power, unsure of who to believe and with the stream of notifications, headlines and updates so constant we’ve become numb to their content - information overload. A familiar feeling in a society where ‘fake news’ is a household phrase, political discontent and lack of faith in the government are commonplace and Orwell’s 1984 seems closer than ever to becoming a reality. The gap between “them” the decision makers, the politicians and “us” the ones affected by their choices is constantly widening and it can often feel like we are simply observing; unable to make our voices heard over the white noise of those in power. This collection plays with the notion of accountability and the lack of transparency in modern politics through wearable misinformation intended to disorientate the viewer
Léa Bonaventure - Absolutely Gentleman
The ‘Fin de siècle’ was recognized for industrialization and a feeling of modernization. Women desired more rights, mobility and started to adopt elements of male style.
Despite this, there was still a distinct separation between menswear and womenswear, reinforced by Victorian ideals. Also, etiquette was considered an indispensable part of dress and gentlemanly beliefs championed elegance as a philosophy for living.
This collection combines the codes and attributes of these English Ladies and Gentlemen, obsessively concerned with their changing place in society.
Flint James McDonald showcased a collection titled - ‘Son of a Tinker’
“Acknowledging history as an active and abiding presence in the creation of contemporary life has been a recurring theme within my work, says Flint. “Looking to antiquated codes of the historical mode and challenging the notion of binaries within sartorial regulation I question how ritualistic rites of passage associated with garment and gender distinctions, and toying with the very nature of their intent could provide an alternative means to socially normative expectations of gendered fashion.”
Bettering oneself with delusions of opulence and living out-with one’s own means conjures the image of an individual whose own perceptions of self is duped with thoughts of grandeur. These garments act as an attempting to emulate by-gone royalty of medieval times by utilising one’s surroundings whether it be the tearing apart of tattered floral upholstery to become a jerkin or the stringing of pre-loved cutlery around one’s head to draw attention to regal status -this collection is dedicated to the dreamer whose deluded proposal for life becomes reality.
Morag Seaton - Memories of Dress
Memories of Dress is a collection which draws from stories of garment ‘use’, a series of illustrated interviews about our most valued clothes. Each piece of the collection is developed from these stories and takes the key elements of comfort, security, identity and childhood memory. The aesthetic draws from hand-me-downs, abstract artwork and 60s interiors. Functional accessories are intertwined with this abstract aesthetic - resulting in a design that considers wearability, function and desirability.
Kelly Hawkins Love Thy Neighbour Matthew 22:36’ (7)
An order which we all know yet mankind’s society cannot abide. The past decade has seen issues such as the Chechnya 100, the immigration crisis and continuing stigma towards mental illness and drug abuse. It is these recurring issues, which become the base of my research. By dissecting the hierarchy of power within institutions, I am able to understand and apply visual comparisons to the emotions between the relationships that are created. Within this there is a link to the works of George Orwell and Sarah Kane looking closing at their writing about totalitarian states. I have formed a body of work looking closely at the details of various uniforms (such as educational and medical institutions) from different ends of the hierarchy and combined them with classic British formal wea
Fengqi Liu- Armoured Warriors
For over 2,000 years, an underground army of life-sized terracotta warriors secretly guarded the tomb of China’s First Emperor. The garments on the terracotta army are made up of plates of leather linked and tied together. They were originally lacquered and brightly coloured. I have reinterpreted these details to create something modern and new while retaining some of the mystery of a vanished empire.
Clancy Dawson - The Vulgar is Tremendous Fun.
This collection goes so far as to be almost anti-erotic, in protest against the ‘sex sells’ ethic endemic in advertising and in the fashion industry. Drawing inspiration from archetypal feminine silhouettes, once favoured by rock legends Rod Stewart, Brian Jones and Mick Jagger in the 1970s, the purpose of this collection is to challenge our notions of beauty, masculinity and ‘manliness’, in the hopes of transforming our expectations of gender and sex roles for a more inclusive society. After all, as British milliner Stephen Jones says: “The vulgar is tremendous fun”.
Kyeong Jung - Creating tranquility
Those who live in Metropolitan cities are surrounded by overwhelming, cold and grey buildings. They are also subjected to hordes of stressed-out people. My collection therefore, aims to provide the wearer with a comforting and serene personal space. To achieve this, each garment is generously oversized and easefully layered. This protects the wearer both physically and emotionally. Tightly squeezed hugs have been cut into the silhouette to convey affection.