About Me
I am Alex, a fashion design student at Nottingham Trent University!
I am Alexandra Amsinck. I am from South Africa and I have a German background. I moved to Paris to commence my studies in Fashion design and then transferred to the UK, Nottingham Trent University. I can be quite a quirky and chirpy personality. I am inspired by macabre topics which are translated through beautiful prints and/or silhouettes.
My work specializes in making versatile luxury wear. Garments which still provoke a statement yet are interchangeable for styling or wearing. I enjoy experimenting with various innovative techniques when it comes to silhouette development/ sampling/ technical skills. I am also interested in sustainability to be one of the prominent features of my work [for instance using real, vegetable-tanned deadstock leathers or fish skin]. Even though I value sustainability practices as very important and needing to be used within my work, it is not always the extreme core focus of my work.
INSPIRATION
Death Becomes her: What is a woman without a man? Family mortality photos? Death flower?
My inspiration draws from my discovery of family mortality photos. The gruesome idea of posing with a dead family member, trying to capture the 'life' that is evidently not present. From here on I decided to explore gothic architecture, as it was around the similar era of such photos. It also got me wondering, what is considered funeral appropriate flowers and attire vs NOT? If one becomes a widower, how are you expected to behave? What is the suitable time to mourn, and then move on?
For primary research I looked at antique lamps and gothic architecture to inform silhouette development as well as the Stapelia flower from my gran's garden. I used my own photography and editing skills to create the print in my collection which features the death flower. I call the Stapelia the 'death flower' as it is known to attract flies with its own poignant scent of rotten meat, overall linking back to family mortality photos and death.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
DETAIL
Sustainable and versatile luxury
The aim for my collection was to create a versatile luxury label that aims at High-level markets whilst still maintaining sustainability efforts in practices/production/resourcing. To make my collection versatile I designed it in a way that a single look is made up of multiple pieces/garments which allows for versatility in styling. This versatility also means the customer invests in these pieces as some of them offer more than a single purpose. Investing into fashion pieces contributes to sustainability as it does not promote fast fashion. 'Amsinck' the label was created using deadstock Ted Baker felt, deadstock leathers and fur, by-product fish leather, glass beads instead of plastic beads or embellishments. The action of producing certain pieces in the collection incorporates some hand sewing of embellishments as well as handcrafted pleats on corsets; meaning in the long-run pieces would be custom/limited edition, reducing fast fashion.
"People will stare. Make it worth their while" - Harry Winston
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