About Me
Hi I'm Amber, a womenswear print graduate from Coventry University
My family heritage has always been so important to me. For generations, we have been involved in the agricultural industry; it is our inherited sense of family identity. Within my collection, there is a hidden message about sustainability. Using remnants of my fabrics I experimented with ways in which this can be repurposed to prolong the wear of garments.
My message preserves the beautiful connection we have to our own heritage and how this can impact who we are today. It highlights the need for sustainability within fashion and how we can prolong the wear of our garments. As consumers, we need to recognize the need for change and start repurposing our old clothing. It's time to revolutionize something old, into something new.
INSPIRATION
My collection journey began whilst browsing through my Grandmother's family albums.
I was completely captivated by the stories and photographs which documented my Grandmother’s experiences during WW2. The blend of this and my family’s agricultural heritage led me to create a body of work that reflects the contrasting lifestyles of women during the 1930’s/40’s. My aim was to represent the role the land girls played in empowering female independence which was dominated by social standards for women to live domesticated lifestyles.
Secondly, I was influenced by the make do and mend rationing methods during WW2. By evolving the traditional methods of patchwork and prolonging the wear of garments, I was able to emphasize the connection it had to my story. There is an analogy here within my designs. They reflect the hardship which was experienced by both the land girls and domesticated women during this time, whilst capturing how this can develop the importance of sustainability in today’s world.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
Concept For Final Collection
Print inspiration and development
Print and Headscarf development
Smocked collar development
Smocking and broderie anglais blouse development
Utility apron style development with print
Further blouse and smocked collar development
Sustainable patch and print placement development
Final blouse
Final dungarees
Freedom from the land collection line up
City of culture uniform design competition concept
City of culture print development
City of culture uniform technical designs
City of culture uniform technical designs
City of culture technical designs with accessories
DETAIL
By hand painting and collaging, I created emblems in my prints to tell the story behind my garments
I wanted to create a heritage feel through my print development whilst preserving a contemporary, abstract approach. I took domestic 1940 interior design elements from my research and experimented with scaling and placement of my prints. In connection to sustainability, second-hand trimmings from my grandmother are used to reinforce my family heritage story. My collection uses utility inspired silhouettes blended with smocking and feminine frills, to tie the concept of both the land girls and domesticated women during WW2.
"Make them admire your independence and your modesty, your frankness, and enthusiasm; show them that a girl who is working for her country on the land is the best sort of girl."
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