About Me
Hi! I am a 2021 graduate from Manchester Fashion Institute
The Queen's Army took inspiration from 1900's British Military culture and movements such as suffragette. A modern day female empowerment collection where fashion is used as a suit of armour. The concept was to create a female army, The Queen's Army.
My goal within this collection was to make the consumer feel fierce, powerful and confident, a feeling of superiority for those who feel they do not have a voice. The idea was to create a look that did not conform to societal expectations of how one should dress, but to break all the rules and to feel untouchable. This is for those who want to disrupt social normality, who want to stand out instead of blending in - as the saying goes, "Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History".
INSPIRATION
My concept stemmed from researching into female oppressed, liberation and societal segregation.
I have always been fascinated by the concept of a suit of armour. I believe anything can be your suit of armour, that it is partially what you put on, but also how you feel when wearing it. That was my goal within this collection, for my consumers to put on their outfits and feel untouchable, to feel a connection to the items they are wearing. This is why I was inspired partially by 1900's British Military but also by the Royal Family, by combining these themes to create 'Opulent Military Dress'.
A few silhouettes within this collection have come from the early 1900s, by purposely taking the oppressive clothing that dismissed any feelings of wanting to dress for one's self-gratification and more for societal expectations. These drapes have been juxtaposed with modern day society where now more than ever it is crucial to allow women to express their sexual identity how they deem fit. This is what the Queen's Army is about, creating an Army within a Utopian world, preparing women for battle.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
The Queen's Army - Concept
The Queen's Army - Research
The Queen's Army - Fabric and Trimmings
The Queen's Army - Consumer Profile
The Queen's Army - Outfit 1 Trouser Development
The Queen's Army - Outfit 1 Jacket Development
The Queen's Army - Outfit 1 Epaulette Development
The Queen's Army - Outfit 2 Skirt Development
The Queen's Army - Outfit 2 Skirt Development
The Queen's Army - Outfit 2 Bodice Development
The Queen's Army - Outfit 2 Harness Development
The Queen's Army - Final Line Up
The Queen's Army - Final Outcome
The Queen's Army - Outfit Breakdown
The Queen's Army - Outfit Breakdown
The Queen's Army - Outfit Breakdown
The Queen's Army - Outfit Breakdown
The Queen's Army - Outfit Breakdown
The Queen's Army - Range Board
DETAIL
Royalty meets Military
Within this collection, details were key. The key details within the outfits in this collection were gold chains, inspired by British Royalty, these gave the garment a sense of true opulence. Epaulettes were also included within this collection with chains dripping off of them, this create a bold, powerful and structured finish for the garment. Within one of the outfits the epaulettes are detachable through the use of snap poppers, allowing the user to take them off when they feel they do not want the extravagance of the chains, this is also the case with the rest of the chains - they are detachable. Other details were extracted from the British Military, this included a pocket harness - detachable pockets on webbing that wrap around the body and clip together at the back. I found this was an unconventional way of give them garment 'storage' but it also gave a sense of power and again it acted as a suit of armour, by putting it on you feel you're ready to fight your battles. Military Styled Straps were al
"Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History".
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