About Me
I'm Lily a Fashion Design student from Nottingham Trent University
My creative work specialises in colourful, textural and plus size womenswear garments. My research highlights the importance of creating size-inclusive, sustainably made garments without the consumer compromising fun, playful clothing. My FMP project focuses on childhood nostalgia, attempting to recreate childhood happiness in a modern womenswear collection.
After studying fashion Design for nearly 5 years both through college and university. My main aim as a designer is to create a variety of collection’s that fit the individual consumers needs as well as making them feel like their most authentic self. For my FMP I explored looking deeper into how attachments to the past can evolve today’s fashion. The project title “Growing Back Into Childhood Happiness” is about investigating how I can bring back the simple joys of childhood memories through creating a colourful, textural collection full of prints and youthful wonder.
INSPIRATION
My inspiration stems from childhood nostalgia and the chase for happiness in recent fashion trends.
Throughout the pandemic it was apparent to me as both a consumer and fashion student that many where purchasing products that reminded them of simpler, happier times. After using my dissertation as a starting point I looked into gen-Z’s consumption patterns around nostalgia and childhood memories. Through my FMP I wanted to produce a physical collection that generated these same simple, joyful feelings that I had previously written about.
I began by looking back into my own past, using key childhood photographs, highlighting aspects like knit, colour and print that will be prominent in my collection. I also used imagery from previous runway’s to inspire my design development but also show me the gaps in the market and how I can produce something new. It is very important for my collection to create childish happiness in the consumer, which is why I used playful details like scalloped edges, gathers, large colourful buttons and bows.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
DETAIL
Creating a size inclusive, sustainably made womenswear collection
My collection is intended to create child-like joy in the consumer, juxtaposing the serious-ness of the fashion industry today. However as fun and playful as my garments are my collection holds size-inclusivity and sustainability as main concerns. It’s important to me as a designer to create clothes for everyone, which is why my collection has been produced in plus sizes 16 and 14. I am the only one in my year group to make both outfits size-inclusive which came with a lot of scheduling issues however this was a top priority. After receiving my Sustainability in Practice Certificate in 2021, creating a sustainably conscious collection was also very crucial to me. I have produced my FMP collection from nearly all waste, gifted or deadstock fabric, using 100% cotton wool for my knitwear and using all my scraps to make accessories like collars and bags to style my outfits. I hope that wherever the future leads me that these two aspects continue to be main themes throughout my work.
'Life is grey and dull, so you might as well have a little fun when you dress.’ –Iris Apfel
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