Future Plans
I am excited about the opportunities ahead of me when
I finish my degree at Manchester School of Art, as I am lucky to have been
given many opportunities throughout the summer and next year.
I have been fortunate enough to be given a place at
The Royal College of Art to follow a Masters Degree in Textiles (Weave) which
begins in September 2015. I am extremely
nervous to be beginning a Masters Degree so soon but I believe the momentum
after finishing my BA will enable me to continue at a good pace. Throughout this year so far, I have used a
lot of silk within my designs, this is because it is known for its quality,
strength, and beautiful rich dyed colours; it is also easily accessible to buy
in the colours I require. However, after research through my extended essay I
have become more and more unhappy at using these materials that are affecting
the environment and its inhabitants. Due to this, my underpinning research will be
based upon my innate need to create unique fabrics using ethical yarn choices,
wanting to maintain a textile language of luxury without using wool or silk.
Through weaving, I aim to combine my passions of ethical fashion
and the preservation and protection of both the environment and
animals; creating new innovative and ethical fabrics. In order to do
this, I aim to make better ethical decisions regarding the creation of fabrics
for fashion.
Eventually I am hoping that by completing an MA at the
Royal College of Art, I will be able to gain the career that I want as a
textile designer for fashion. I am hoping that it will give me the opportunity
to make several valuable connections and develop my practice to become more
diverse.
Due to my MA coming up so quickly, I have been keeping
myself up to date with things that might come in useful to me during my time at
the RCA. I have been reading a lot about how fashion has become ‘dead’ and the
problems with throwaway items. I found an article written on ‘’Rêve en Vert”
to be interesting. ‘’Rêve en Vert” is an online shopping location dedicated to the best of
non-disposable fashion and you can read more about it here:
Another more textile-focused piece of research that I
found to be interesting was Piñatex. “Piñatex is an innovative, natural
and sustainable non-woven textile developed by the Ananas Anam team.
It is produced from the fibers of pineapple leaves, which are a
by-product of the pineapple harvest. Initial product work was undertaken in the
Philippines and significant research & development is now being
undertaken between the UK and Spain, specifically to enhance the finishing
technology.
Piñatex™ can be used as a leather alternative or textile in the
fashion, accessory and upholstery markets.” You can read more about it here:
As well as gaining a place at the RCA, I have also
been lucky enough to get a place to exhibit my work at New Designers and gain a
couple of placements through the summer months. I am really excited to show my
work at New Designers, as it will mean gaining valuable feedback and I will get
to make connections and network with other industry professionals.
My first placement is with Anna Grieve
from Mr.Grieves Originals: a textile studio specialising in woven fabrics,
both digital and hand woven designs. The studio creates seasonal collections
for both the fashion and interiors markets. Collections are sold
internationally by appointment and at trade shows. Mr. Grieves originals exhibit
at Premiere Vision in Paris & New York as well as the London Textile Fair.
I am looking forward to this placement, as I believe it will enable me to learn
more about commercial weaving, digital processes and seeing how a small
business runs. Something I realised through my interview that I feel
is valued to my progression as a designer is that as designers, we are not all
drawn to the same things, this is something I have always been aware of but it
was really drawn to my attention during my interview with Anna. I was expecting
her to like the same samples as me, but I found it unexpected how she picked
out different ones to the ones I’d thought were the best and so it opened my
mind to the fact that a collection should hold a variety and a range for
everyone.
My next placement is with Wallace Sewell, which I won through the Practice unit. I am beginning this placement at the beginning of September and am expecting to help them prepare for a trade show and to learn about how their business works which will be an interesting experience. I have also been contacting Bonnie Kirkwood, a fellow weaver who is also an RCA graduate, with the possible opportunity of a placement, and I am looking forward to meeting her at New Designers.
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| From Left to Right: Wallace Sewell scarfs and blankets. Far right, Mr. Grieves Originals woven shirts. |
My next placement is with Wallace Sewell, which I won through the Practice unit. I am beginning this placement at the beginning of September and am expecting to help them prepare for a trade show and to learn about how their business works which will be an interesting experience. I have also been contacting Bonnie Kirkwood, a fellow weaver who is also an RCA graduate, with the possible opportunity of a placement, and I am looking forward to meeting her at New Designers.
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| Bonnie Kirkwood's Woven designs. |
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