Arts Thread

Inspired by my time working in a couture atelier, I investigated the fine craft of corsetry and tailoring. I then researched the origins of the sewing machine, how it was introduced to a Staymakers and Tailors in Market Harborough , Leicestershire, in the 1860’s. This enabled the workers of this business to produce their garments at a more rapid speed, and is considered to be the turning point in garment production, the beginning of what has developed into fast fashion today. I used traditional hand stitch techniques used in corsetry and tailoring to create my collection, making my pieces with deadstock materials, my own textile waste and up-cycled garments.

Independent illustration

In the late 19th Century, pioneering women photographers, such as Julia Margaret Cameron, used shadow, light and chemical to create art. This project explored bringing those methods of manipulating light and shadow into fashion, redesigning the women's dress, also exploring the traditional chemical process of cyanotype, to design my silhouettes and prints. Whilst considering a women's place in the photography industry, I draw inspiration from the corset and crinoline, representing the restrictions faced by women in the arts industry, both then and now. I created this capsule collection with my passion for sustainability in mind, realizing my first look with deadstock and eco fabrics

Drawn from my own experience of being raised in the military, I explore the connections between family, the uncertainty of constant movement and the delicacy of being a little girl amongst this. My dad, Martin, served 22 years as an Engineering Officer before he retired from the Royal Air Force. To begin my design process, I looked at my own clothes, florals, checks and denim, as well as military wear, its hard wear and the mechanics I was surrounded with growing up. Designing sustainably is always at the forefront of my mind, I began this project by using deadstock and second hand garments to experiment with.