Sara Catarina Carney

Contact:
SARACATARINACARNEY@GMAIL.COM
University/School:
Northumbria University Newcastle
Location:
Newcastle
Specialism:
Art DirectionAward NomineeFashion DesignMenswearSustainabiltyWomenswear
About Me

(BA) Fashion Design & Marketing graduate from Northumbria University

My final year concept is driven by both my fixation with the imperfect and my experience studying fashion over the last 4 years. With my appreciation but disregard for faithfully following traditional patterns and orthodox pattern cutting methods, this concept explores unconventional and alternative ways of constructing and reconstructing garments.

In an attempt to show my versatility as a designer my portfolio offers 2 briefs. The first explores a collection for my own brand, developed for my FMP, En Profondeur. A showcase of cyclical, seasonless, dark-label fashion that explores the process of upcycling and zero-waste pattern cutting. The second is a collaborative brief for Japanese streetwear brand NEEDLES. As a designer who tends to work predominantly in black this collection demonstrates my ability to also work with prints, graphics and colour, developing a collegiate collection and presenting a NEEDLES take on 'The American Dream'.

INSPIRATION

EN PROFONDEUR

After completing a research report asking the question; ‘Is buying from luxury brands an assurance of sustainability and ethical production?’ I concluded that although there are exceptions, generally, buying ‘luxury’ fashion is not an assurance of responsible practice, nor a more ethical way to shop. With damaging evidence of the sectors malpractices En Profondeur tackles issues surrounding production waste and transparency believing that high fashion and high morality can and should go hand in hand.

Unwilling to jeopardize the state of the environment to adhere and conform to current industry norms I developed hand rendered, one-off pieces that explore the re-purposing of pre-loved garments working to be as sustainably driven and authentic as possible. As a ‘hands on’ learner, more inspired by construction than I am trends, this particular collection explores how manipulating shapes can inform new ways to innovate regarding design, making fabric manipulation and tactility the core of the collection.

MY WORK

PORTFOLIOS

DETAIL

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPARENCY

I recorded my final major project for my final year using black & white polaroid film to offer raw and transparent insight into the processes, and in turn, difficulties that come with creating a collection. To mirror the transparency that I, with En Profondeur, push for, and that I want and expect from brands I admire in the industry today, I believe that offering consumers true insight into the making of their garments is invaluable to the promotion and future of slow, conscious fashion.

I acknowledge that fashion cannot, by definition, be sustainable, but I will continue to actively work towards ethically driven design, never prioritising trends over the wellbeing of the earth.
Art DirectionAward NomineeFashion DesignMenswearSustainabiltyWomenswear
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