I would consider myself a fashion designer who is hungry for perfection. The hunger for perfection leads me to strive for excellence in everything I do, sometimes leading me to constantly seeking improvement while trying to accomplish tasks with the utmost precision and attention to detail.
To me, fashion is much more than the clothes we wear on our back but rather the catalyst of expression and communication for our inner essences to manifest one’s inner aura outwardly. Gifting the opportunity to showcase a unique style that brings forth self-expression, empowerment, and the ability to align the true gifts that lay within.
My aim is to create garments that help to enhance and comply with the shape and form of someone's unique figure. Although challenging at times, I never give up until I reach the result I am looking for. The success of this lies in the pattern cutting and garment construction which I would say are my greatest strengths.
The journey with my degree began when I studied fashion and textiles HNC/HND at Gloucestershire college, studying level 4 and level 5. During my first year I was exposed to all different elements of fashion, acquiring skills not only in garment design and construction but allowing me to gain a solid base of skills in print, textile and surface design. During the second year, I specialised and refined my pattern cutting and garment construction skills which allowed me to create some unique, high-quality garments that were formed with a narrative and enabled me to curate them sophisticatedly. Leading into my final year, due to my previous institution not carrying level 6, I opted to do a top up year at Plymouth Arts university where I have further refined my pattern cutting and garment construction skills.
Inspired heavily from the 1950s, the work I create is to a standard which I believe would be held within the higher end of the fashion market, which is present throughout the shape, silhouette and fabrics I choose to work with. I also strive to bring in unconventional materials into my work, for example I experimented with surface design by exploring the use of red wine and beetroot juice to create a print that resembles blood stains. In addition to my garment construction and pattern cutting skills, I would say I have a keen eye for detail which allows me to be able to highlight and understand the emerging trends within the industry when it comes to shape, silhouette and colours, which is present throughout the work I create. I am also confident when it comes to the digital side of fashion; my digital illustrations, mood boards and research is all concise and plays well to help me present my ideas and inspirations from the start of an idea to the finished garment.
The greatest influences within my work are Jean Paul Gaultier who inspired a satin bullet bra and pants I created depicting a Hollywood show girl, Charles James whose use of heavy structure helped my bloodstained kimono take form and Cristóbal Balenciaga's baby doll silhouette and balloon hems inspired three puffball dresses, one showcasing an African flower, another bringing the vision of mutation to life and within my current collection of bringing a femme fatale rival and a jealous muse to life.
I would say I am incredibly hardworking and have great communication skills, physically and visually when it comes to my work, and that everything i do is meticulously thought out and completed to a high standard.