About Me
I'm Izzie, a fashion design graduate from Edinburgh College of Art.
Izzie is a creative from Bristol, studying in Edinburgh and specialising in Womenswear. Sustainability is a core value in her work, as well as an interest in surface texture and a boldly feminine aesthetic. Her creative approach looks at how second-hand fabrics can be regenerated and upcycled, using materials that would otherwise be discarded.
My work is highly personal, using my own experiences with my body and mind, more recently surrounding sleep, restriction and control- juxtaposed with freedom. Being colour-blind does not restrict the vibrancy of my work, hoping to provide comfort to the viewer and wearer. I design with real bodies in mind, winning an award for my illustrations by the National Museum of Scotland and exhibited in the 'Body Beautiful Exhibition'. My silhouettes celebrate femininity, yet do not rely on the body. With a love for surface texture, I have created textiles which stretch to fit diverse body shapes.
INSPIRATION
My work reflects our past few years, as well as my own body and mind experiences.
As an insomniac, sleep and relaxation is a particular interest. After a turbulent few years, we are all looking for comfort where we can. The world is coming out of bed and back into the world- I want to bring this lockdown reality into the present, using recycled duvets, velvets and satins to create luxury pyjama garments for daywear and party-wear. Paralleled with my dreamlike aesthetic, I looked into the Scottish Selkie mythology, which resonated with me in its themes of restriction vs freedom.
With this came a reflection on my own days as a synchronized swimmer. This all-female sport requires strength, endurance, as well as grace and flexibility. To be feminine is to be bold- I love to juxtapose soft femininity with powerful shapes and colours, not only bringing comfort, but also confidence to the wearer. I explored repetition and control in hand pleated textiles, manipulating the fabric into fluid forms and shapes-echoing patterns and movements of synchro- swimmers by quilting and pleating.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
DETAIL
My final garments encompass my themes of sleep, control vs fluidity, synchronicity and selkies.
This image shows details of my final textile and garment development. Although initially I looked at a 'wet look', I felt that a less literal approach allowed more creativity in my silhouette and textile development. I focused on the idea of fluidity and freedom vs control- something I resonated with in the myth of the Selkie, having had years in and out of mental health treatment. I looked at repetition and synchronicity, taking recycled materials and altering them. I hand pleated my fabrics, focusing on delicate, yet controlled line surface texture, which I then manipulated these into bold, fluid shapes- much like synchronized swimming. Layers of fabric are folded over one another, representing the selkie skin, and embellished beading adds delicate detail like water droplets hanging from the fabric. With inclusivity at the heart of my work, I represent femininity as bold and powerful, with a highly personal colour palette which reflects my own red-green colour-blindness- a strength in my work.
"sometimes I look around and see everyone here doing something with their hands, bright colours everywhere – that makes me so happy. I'm desperate for those days, just making clothes.”- Molly Goddard
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