My latest work continues the Filthy Gorgeous London theme with a small collection of one-off garments that were introduced at my graduation show in June.

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My latest work continues the Filthy Gorgeous London theme with a small collection of one-off garments that were introduced at my graduation show in June.

The Filthy Gorgeous London project theme began shortly before the start of the final year of my degree.

Initially inspired by lyrics from the Scissor Sisters’ Filthy Gorgeous song and my relationship with London, the project then travelled through the dirty side of this gorgeous city of ours for inspiration. This is a journey that has included Medieval filth, Charles Dickens’ Victorian London and present day environmental issues.

Bringing together garment construction with dyed, screen-printed, collaged layers of fabrics & papers, I create detailed designs that play with the contours of the body. My approach to ‘the body as a surface’ can be described as ‘scientific grunge.’

An example of my earlier work that used the Filthy Gorgeous London theme is a prototype skirt consisting almost entirely of manipulated cigarette rolling papers and other smoking paraphernalia that are recycled to evoke the 5 senses.

It consists of panels that can be interchanged on the body with safety pins to form alternative garments. The core lines and textures of these and co-ordinating sample panels inspired the print design’s used on my following garments, such as a screen-printed kimono straitjacket (which is also in the ‘Filthy Gorgeous London projects’ photo album).