About Me
I'm Darcie a final year fashion knitwear and textiles designer at KSA
Life’s a Joke is a collection designed to mock the society we live in today where we are constantly being monitored and having our data tracked and use my love of clowns to give you a ‘laugh so you don’t cry’ take on the world. There is always so much negativity going on in the world that I wanted to create a collection that brings joy and colour to life.
Knit and textiles has always been a starting point for all my projects, being able to translate samples into elaborate garments has elevated my designs. This is why I developed a technique that means all my seams are a decorative part of the design. I am a maximalist and wanted to not waste any opportunity for more textile. Sustainability is also extremely important to my process so I have made sure all of my yarns and fabrics are biodegradable. My collection is nearly 100% wool with the exception of some raffia, silk and leather pieces which are also all biodegradable.
INSPIRATION
'Life’s a Joke’ started with a makeup look that stopped me getting through airport security
Life’s a Joke started to evolve after one of my makeup looks stopped the facial recognition cameras at the airport from being able to recognise my face. The security guard stated that the lines on my face distorted my proportions and confused the cameras. This inspired my collection. I have always had a weird fascination with clowns and the circus and they have a huge impact on my style and makeup.
Clowns distort their bodies and face for humour using oversized silhouettes and tiny accessories to create a comical proportion. Manipulating the form and figure was an area that excites me and allows me to create interesting shapes for my gender-neutral collection. I combined the way the clowns distort themselves with the makeup looks that I have been part of my identity for years to create a collection that mocks the ‘big brother’ society that we live in.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
DETAIL
I wanted to make the seams part of the design and I used crochet to integrate them into my design
The shape of them seams influenced such a huge part of the silhouette it seemed a shame to hide them inside the garment. I developed lots of samples and played about with different techniques until I managed to create a garment that elevate the natural form of the body and distorted it into an exciting silhouette.
‘Life’s a Joke’ is a very personal project that allowed me to explore my identity through my clown inspired makeup looks and at the same time explore the anti-surveillance movement
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