Beatrice Oettinger I

Working in a world of fantastical fashion Beatrice Oettinger has often used fairy tales for the starting point of her costume and fashion creations. Now she says that she simple needs to take a walk and see a weed growing from a crack in the pavement or a flower to be inspired.
This first of three posts, exploring the work of this German artist/designer, features her 'pea collection'. A transparent dress and underwear with peas sewn inside, inspired by the fairy tale "The princess and the Pea".

Ainslie Hogg

 

Ainslie Hogg's graduation collection has the crazy glamour of a little girl let loose on her mothers glam rock wardrobe (in the 1970's) loud, jangling clashes of flamboyant fabrics.
" I have explored combining fabrics and textures  . . . and created a beautiful feminine collection, which has an obscure quirky twist." Ainslie Hogg

Emma Hardstaff II

Here are some of the portfolio drawings and close ups of Emma Hardstaff's garments from the ECA degree show.

Tim Ryan

 

With dresses like the bunting and pinata's of Confetti System, Tim Ryan's designs are celebrations with wonderful movement and texture they look great fun to wear. Tim initially learnt how to make clothes on his mothers domestic sewing machine and design from vintage 1970's editions of vogue.

“Whether it’s Ireland, London or New York, every country has an attitude to fashion. What is in in one place is out in another, so, it is about a character that loves her clothes, whether they are in or out of fashion. And it is relevant now because the notion of acquiring new is no longer right. It is about what is beautiful, flattering and feminine. There is a joyousness about it.” Tim Ryan

Johanna Blakley

A wonderful essay on copyright and fashion, Johanna Blakley argues that all creative industries would benefit from the same free culture as fashion. This is part of the TED Talks which is a fantastic resource for innovative ideas, inspirational lectures and just mind blowing creative thinking.

Caroline Reis

To break free from the norm of western dress code, Carolina Reis has designed an average-looking suit, but on close examination, it has many tightly stitched folds and pleats. As the wearer moves the pressure of their movement and body shape breaks the stitches to remold the suits form. Carolina's suit is an armature that allows the wearer to create their own identity by breaking the garment, through the personal ergonomics of their own movement and shape.

Sandra Backlund II

Sandra Backlund loves playing with body silhouette and body sculpting with her designs.

Sandra Backlund I

I love the sculptural fashion that Sandra Backlund creates from unconventional materials such as pegs, but she also applies an unconventional and sensational aspects to her work with more traditional fabrics.

"My work is very personal to me. I improvise and allow myself to loose control and see what happens if I do not think too much about practical things. The human body is always the starting point. I am fascinated by all the ways you can highlight, distort and transform the natural silhouette with clothes and accessories. i build my garments from a couple of basic bricks which I multiply and attach in different ways to discover the shape that I want." Sandra Backlund

Yeonju Sung

Yeonju Sung creates images from food dressed up as fashion. Stunning basques and dresses that can never be, captured only in a photograph a metaphor for the fleeting fickle quality of fashion. Yeonju is interested in the lie that is photography, photography as make believe.

"I drag out the types of images that can only exist in my mind and imagination into a reality and yet, it eventually disappears. I have physically made these images but they are the creation of illusion and ultimately what you see is the images of phantoms. My works remain as the medium of photographs, and it holds the time and makes us believe that the creation does exist in the real world." Yeonju Sung

Images from top; eggplant, lotus root, shrimp, fungi, tomato, red cabbage Thank you Dom

Joann Berman

Joann Berman is a chameleon of fashion, she jigsaws cultures, fabrics and shapes together in unique and wonderful ways.

Lucy McRae

I was so excited to find the work of Australian, artist and designer Lucy McRae today.
Lucy's work is visually shocking and striking. Using low tech and high tech methods, Lucy's work straddles the genre of fashion, costume, art and technology. Lucy trained as both a classical ballerina and an architect, now she reinvents the skin and reshapes and interprets the body silhouette, her work is very inspiring and thought provoking. Just goes to show you never know where your path will lead you.

Lu Flux I

Lots of startling inspiration for your projects, from the wonderful collections of Lu Flux. Lu is a London based designer who trained at ECA and creates unique pieces of clothing, working with salvaged fabrics, using techniques such as knitting, pleating and patchwork.

Maria Blaisse I

These fantastic images are of Maria Blaisse's foam costumes 'Kuma Guna' created for a dance performance, such structure could also be created using neoprene (wet suit fabric). (Found) thanks to (Deb)x.

Julian Roberts

Julian Roberts constructs fabrics like an engineer, they are folded like origami masterpieces , his technique is called 'Subtraction Cutting'.
'Subtraction Cutting' is an approach to garment design that allows for trial and error, chance discovery, multiple flipside viewpoints, and the ability to cut fast and loose without too many overbearing reference to numbers, or rigid mathematical rules.'
Please watch the 5 minute Video (you will find top right hand side of Julian Roberts website).

Yoshikazu Yamagata

For those of you mastering the art of knitting, this is Yoshikazu Yamagata, have a look at his amazing portfolio, I am sure that you will gasp, laugh and hopefully be very inspired!

Alison Willoughby

Alison Willoughby, uses every technique available to a textile artist/ fashion designer/crafts person. Like a fine chef she throws unusual ingredients into the mix to create garments with unique character, flavour and flare. Be inspired . . . by Alison Willoughby.