About Me
I'm Abbie, a fashion design graduate from Nottingham Trent University
My practice explores challenging the male gaze surrounding sexualisation and objectification through alternative tailoring techniques and unconventional materials in womenswear. I want to change the narrative around this topic and drive towards a positive outcome where all women are celebrated no matter how much skin is on show.
By stripping away these negative connotations, I feel womenswear will have a much more inclusive and non-judgemental environment where design can be used to enhance every individual’s own story. My final major project reflects my ethos of women being a super muse and approaching this is a new and exciting way. I used armour as my concept to allow my vision to be represented in a strong and powerful way. I keep craftmanship and sustainability at the top of my priorities when designing.
INSPIRATION
My inspiration stems from powerful and iconic female figures in my life who I look up to and admire
When I approach new projects and concepts, I am always drawn to the idea surrounding women being the ultimate muse. I relate to my work which gives it a personal edge that other women can connect to. Designers such as Thierry Mugler and the current creative director of Mugler Casey Cadwallader, inspire me to push the boundaries of womenswear with tailoring, unusual materials and dramatic silhouettes.
After researching into emotional durability and slow design in my dissertation, I will continue to use these design strategies in my future work due to the extensive knowledge I have gained. I enjoy creating hand crafted garments that are made to last for generations to come. Haute Couture and tailoring are the areas of fashion I enjoy the most as you can be experimental and full fill your imagination through fashion and I admire the level of detail and construction in bespoke tailoring.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
Concept board exploring power suiting
Design development and 3D of my first outfit
Design development and 3D of my first outfit
Design development and 3D of my second outfit
CAD breakdowns of my line up
CAD breakdowns of my line up
CAD breakdowns of my line up
Final outcome photoshoot
Final outcome photoshoot
DETAIL
Women are my super muse and they drive me to create inclusive, dominant and feminine clothing.
My style of designing includes dominant silhouettes which focus on wide shoulders and cinched waists with intricate detailing and finishes. This style encourages women to be confident and self-assured when wearing the clothes and it allows them to control how their body is being shown, My designs show off the female figure but in different ways so they can suit different kinds of women. There is a balance between sophistication and sexiness due to the prominent shoulder pads on the jacket and transparency of the wide leg trousers. In my final major project, I have included leather accessories to add a layer of texture and interest which can be detached depending on the wearer. The belt and shoulder piece reflect the woman warrior and armour focus in my research. I wanted the final outcome to clearly show the inspiration and to allow the wearer to feel empowered and like a contemporary woman warrior.
"Today, women dress for themselves and it's empowering." - Casey Cadwallader
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