About Me
I’m Lauren, a womenswear graduate from Edinburgh College of Art.
I am a womenswear designer and pattern cutter who specialises in moulage and tailoring. Throughout my 6 years of fashion education, I have developed a sophisticated and feminine design style that is considered and focused. I design through hands on exploration with materials and techniques underpinned by fashion theory and research into other disciplines.
To me, fashion is a driving force in conveying and changing ideals of the current and future epoch. The notion that fashion is an art form, which communicates meaningful and intellectual ideas, underpins my design philosophy. As a designer, I strive to gain knowledge about the traditional techniques of tailoring and draping, finding peace and enjoyment in the flow of making. In my graduate year I was able to hone and explore my skills in draping and tailoring to a high level which will continue to inform my future designs.
INSPIRATION
Revealing the Underbelly.
THE UNDERBELLY was born from my research of ‘The String of Pearls: A Domestic Romance’ and its movie adaptation ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’. I investigated dissection of the body, body snatching and the impact of the 1832 Anatomy act, highlighting the co-modification of the human body both past and present. In relation to fashion, I dissected physical garments and the industry, revealing a loss of appreciation of skill, apparent in our mistreatment of workers and high consumption.
I researched deconstructed fashion as it highlights craftsmanship, challenges notions of beauty and the function and meaning of fashion, which I believe can challenge our views around consumption. I explored methods of construction and manufacture, informed by the techniques used in couture and bespoke tailoring. Through utilising textiles that often go unseen, and their importance unacknowledged, in combination with other design decisions the collection takes on a deconstructed approach.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
DETAIL
When researching the inside of the body, I came across Victoria Reynolds meat paintings
Inspired by their grotesqueness and energy I wanted to translate this into a garment, as such I took a piece of calico and allowed myself to drape freely and playfully on the stand. I found this to be very successful with an exciting energy that I wanted to build upon. I developed and experimented with draping techniques and fabrics throughout the project, colliding it with tailoring to create different garments and silhouettes. Throughout the manufacturing process it was important to me that my method was in line with my philosophy. As such the process relied heavily on traditional techniques used in couture and tailoring. Through my research into tailoring, I discovered the important of hand stitching and tacking to produce accurate and durable results. I therefore utilised machine and hand stitch where appropriate in order for me to produce the best results.
‘Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn’ - Orson Welles
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