The Voice of a Generation
Enter the BA Fashion Print Class of 2018 and discover the Voice of a Generation. These students not only are brilliantly talented but their views are what the industry needs to change for the good. They all need to be heard and given an opportunity in the fashion world.
I went to meet Natalie Gibson and some of the Fashion Print students to ask them, what drew them to fashion, what they specifically liked about print, if fashion was a form of expression for them, if art and fashion can bring communities and people together and what they would like to change in the industry.
Most want to see fashion become sustainable, that there should be more opportunities for all to work in fashion and to pay all interns. These are true and valid points that need to be listened to and taken into consideration. These young people are thoughtful in their approach of fashion, talented and may hold the key to shape things up for the better.
Scroll down to read Voices of a Generation and further down to view some of their fashion.
It's been a long time coming, and we are trying to highlight and change things, but let's hope that come next year during graduation time, fashion interns would be paid, the distribution across the industry would be fairer and fashion industry workers will get more rights.
Read below the talented Fashion Print class of 2018....
I went to meet Natalie Gibson and some of the Fashion Print students to ask them, what drew them to fashion, what they specifically liked about print, if fashion was a form of expression for them, if art and fashion can bring communities and people together and what they would like to change in the industry.
Most want to see fashion become sustainable, that there should be more opportunities for all to work in fashion and to pay all interns. These are true and valid points that need to be listened to and taken into consideration. These young people are thoughtful in their approach of fashion, talented and may hold the key to shape things up for the better.
Scroll down to read Voices of a Generation and further down to view some of their fashion.
It's been a long time coming, and we are trying to highlight and change things, but let's hope that come next year during graduation time, fashion interns would be paid, the distribution across the industry would be fairer and fashion industry workers will get more rights.
Read below the talented Fashion Print class of 2018....
Harry Freegard and Bencissa Majeri
What do you love about fashion?
Harry: What do we love about fashion…clothes! Freedom of Expression, being able to decorate yourself in whatever way you choose and with fashion you can align yourself with politics quite quickly just by putting on a t-shirt or something.
And is there something specific about print that you like?
Harry: The speed and the clarity of the message you get with print I think is very important.
What do you hope for the future of fashion?
Harry: Sustainability. And I think more fun, less seriousness and cheaper things
Ben: Cheaper things for sure
Do you mean high fashion to be cheaper
Ben: Not really high fashion to be cheaper
Harry: More exciting things
Ben: More exciting things that are more accessible, not everything has to be impossible to reach, especially for the young designers.
Harry: Because people are making things not even to be sold just to be shot.
Ben : it takes the fun out of the clothes
What do you want to do in the fashion industry?
Harry: Not design clothes. I take a lot of pictures - so maybe that. I don’t know what I want to do further than that. I just want to shake things up a bit, have a bit more fun, as everything is so serious. I understand that it is a serious time, but I think we need a bit of refreshment.
Any final comments on how you feel about fashion and how you feel about the arts?
Harry: Inclusivity, accessibility and excitement
Ben: Yes I love that!
Harry: Just bullet points.
And we love Natalie Gibson!
What do you love about fashion?
Harry: What do we love about fashion…clothes! Freedom of Expression, being able to decorate yourself in whatever way you choose and with fashion you can align yourself with politics quite quickly just by putting on a t-shirt or something.
And is there something specific about print that you like?
Harry: The speed and the clarity of the message you get with print I think is very important.
What do you hope for the future of fashion?
Harry: Sustainability. And I think more fun, less seriousness and cheaper things
Ben: Cheaper things for sure
Do you mean high fashion to be cheaper
Ben: Not really high fashion to be cheaper
Harry: More exciting things
Ben: More exciting things that are more accessible, not everything has to be impossible to reach, especially for the young designers.
Harry: Because people are making things not even to be sold just to be shot.
Ben : it takes the fun out of the clothes
What do you want to do in the fashion industry?
Harry: Not design clothes. I take a lot of pictures - so maybe that. I don’t know what I want to do further than that. I just want to shake things up a bit, have a bit more fun, as everything is so serious. I understand that it is a serious time, but I think we need a bit of refreshment.
Any final comments on how you feel about fashion and how you feel about the arts?
Harry: Inclusivity, accessibility and excitement
Ben: Yes I love that!
Harry: Just bullet points.
And we love Natalie Gibson!
Gui Rosa
What for you is fashion?
Fashion is sculpting the body, it’s proportion. For me it really has to do with proportion.
I think it’s really to enhance oneself and I usually always put one thing after another on. Coco Chanel used to say, when you leave the house take one thing off, I’m basing my collection on Coco Chanel, but I am adding on. I suppose I’m very maximalist when it comes to fashion.
Lately I have been through so many different phases of how I dress-i mean I used to look like a boy, yet my designs are so flamboyant, that I thought well there is something wrong here, if I’m inviting people to purchase into this vision then I have to present myself like that.
So fashion is a good tool to express identities?
Yes I think it is a good tool.
The thing about fashion is that it is very quick, and I think it is a good response to whatever is happening around you. Recently we have heard a lot about gender and gender politics and identity, and you immediately see the repercussions this has on the catwalk or on the streets - so i feel like we will see a lot of that this year.
Fashion gives you a voice
Yes it gives you a platform too I suppose.
What are your hopes for the future of the fashion industry?
This might be a horrible thing to say, but there is so much money in fashion but it is not particularly well distributed - so when you work in the industry which we do during our placement year, you will be working next to a stylist who comes in for like 5 days before the show, and they earn more than anyone of the full time employees who are behind the scenes stitching those seams together - so i think, the distribution of money is something to think about.
There should be a fairer distribution across the pyramid of the industry
Yes it’s such a big industry, I mean the fashion industry is huge, and every time there’s never any budget, or there’s production costs, so find a model for free, find a photographer for free, everything for free -so I think people need to stop being so cheap.
What do you like from print?
I do more fabrication than print, I am more interested in colour and transmitting that, putting through the concept through the fabrication of the colour rather than drawing this on the fabric. I am sometimes concerned things will look flat, so I have a tendency to work on double things a lot.
So you like layers
I am quite a layer
I guess like all our identities are layered
Yes I think so, it is all co-related
What for you is fashion?
Fashion is sculpting the body, it’s proportion. For me it really has to do with proportion.
I think it’s really to enhance oneself and I usually always put one thing after another on. Coco Chanel used to say, when you leave the house take one thing off, I’m basing my collection on Coco Chanel, but I am adding on. I suppose I’m very maximalist when it comes to fashion.
Lately I have been through so many different phases of how I dress-i mean I used to look like a boy, yet my designs are so flamboyant, that I thought well there is something wrong here, if I’m inviting people to purchase into this vision then I have to present myself like that.
So fashion is a good tool to express identities?
Yes I think it is a good tool.
The thing about fashion is that it is very quick, and I think it is a good response to whatever is happening around you. Recently we have heard a lot about gender and gender politics and identity, and you immediately see the repercussions this has on the catwalk or on the streets - so i feel like we will see a lot of that this year.
Fashion gives you a voice
Yes it gives you a platform too I suppose.
What are your hopes for the future of the fashion industry?
This might be a horrible thing to say, but there is so much money in fashion but it is not particularly well distributed - so when you work in the industry which we do during our placement year, you will be working next to a stylist who comes in for like 5 days before the show, and they earn more than anyone of the full time employees who are behind the scenes stitching those seams together - so i think, the distribution of money is something to think about.
There should be a fairer distribution across the pyramid of the industry
Yes it’s such a big industry, I mean the fashion industry is huge, and every time there’s never any budget, or there’s production costs, so find a model for free, find a photographer for free, everything for free -so I think people need to stop being so cheap.
What do you like from print?
I do more fabrication than print, I am more interested in colour and transmitting that, putting through the concept through the fabrication of the colour rather than drawing this on the fabric. I am sometimes concerned things will look flat, so I have a tendency to work on double things a lot.
So you like layers
I am quite a layer
I guess like all our identities are layered
Yes I think so, it is all co-related
Leeann Jhuang
What do you like about fashion?
I guess it is very romantic for me, I love the idea of building a character or building a story. The art aspect of it and making clothes is really fun for me.
Has it been a way for you to express yourself?
I don’t think I’m a very vocal person, so from my perspective, it is a way to express myself and speak the way that I want through my clothes, my textiles, and my fabrics to be.
Why did you incorporate food in your work?
The story behind that, is that I did a placement year where I worked in the industry and I got really sad about it because of how exhausted I was from working and how many hours I was doing.
I was then trying to explore the other many passions I had in life because I was really sad, and food was one of my passions that I had and it was one of my last stitch efforts, because when I was a kid, I wanted to be a chef but I am kind of clumsy so it wasn’t really going to work - so I wanted to combine the last thing I loved with something I was really passionate about; and that was combining food with fashion, it just made me really happy.
It’s also an art, food is an art
Yes I guess so, I also like overwhelming visuals. So fashion as an experience rather than a utility.
What are your hopes for the future of the industry?
In the industry as a whole or just for myself?
Both
I think it would be nice if designers and artists themselves could live sustainable lifestyles without having to feel like they need to completely exhaust themselves over it.
People feel compelled to always have to go that extra mile, to push themselves so far in order to be successful and I feel like that takes away from the joy of doing what you like.
So you feel like the beauty that is reflected outwards from the clothes should also be inwards
Yes and I feel like it forces people to do things that they don’t want to do. Which is why I feel like I wish that there was more models for a sustainable lifestyle for designers.
There’s so much pollution and fast fashion, that kind of detracts from what I enjoy about fashion and it makes it into a commodity which I don’t really like.
With you combining food and fashion it’s about sustainability as well?
Kind of inadvertently
It’s maybe an element.
There is that element,
What I am doing right now, is temporary in a way.
The clothes that I am making are kind of an illusion of something. For instance an illusion of a tablecloth - so it’s more like a performance. It’s experienced once and remembered later on.
In that way it is kind of environmentally friendly in that it’s like a beautiful art piece that I made from different scraps, even food. In that way it is.
What do you like about fashion?
I guess it is very romantic for me, I love the idea of building a character or building a story. The art aspect of it and making clothes is really fun for me.
Has it been a way for you to express yourself?
I don’t think I’m a very vocal person, so from my perspective, it is a way to express myself and speak the way that I want through my clothes, my textiles, and my fabrics to be.
Why did you incorporate food in your work?
The story behind that, is that I did a placement year where I worked in the industry and I got really sad about it because of how exhausted I was from working and how many hours I was doing.
I was then trying to explore the other many passions I had in life because I was really sad, and food was one of my passions that I had and it was one of my last stitch efforts, because when I was a kid, I wanted to be a chef but I am kind of clumsy so it wasn’t really going to work - so I wanted to combine the last thing I loved with something I was really passionate about; and that was combining food with fashion, it just made me really happy.
It’s also an art, food is an art
Yes I guess so, I also like overwhelming visuals. So fashion as an experience rather than a utility.
What are your hopes for the future of the industry?
In the industry as a whole or just for myself?
Both
I think it would be nice if designers and artists themselves could live sustainable lifestyles without having to feel like they need to completely exhaust themselves over it.
People feel compelled to always have to go that extra mile, to push themselves so far in order to be successful and I feel like that takes away from the joy of doing what you like.
So you feel like the beauty that is reflected outwards from the clothes should also be inwards
Yes and I feel like it forces people to do things that they don’t want to do. Which is why I feel like I wish that there was more models for a sustainable lifestyle for designers.
There’s so much pollution and fast fashion, that kind of detracts from what I enjoy about fashion and it makes it into a commodity which I don’t really like.
With you combining food and fashion it’s about sustainability as well?
Kind of inadvertently
It’s maybe an element.
There is that element,
What I am doing right now, is temporary in a way.
The clothes that I am making are kind of an illusion of something. For instance an illusion of a tablecloth - so it’s more like a performance. It’s experienced once and remembered later on.
In that way it is kind of environmentally friendly in that it’s like a beautiful art piece that I made from different scraps, even food. In that way it is.
Leeann Jhuang
Kira Massara
What drew you to fashion?
What initially drew me to fashion was that it was a way of expressing myself. I grew up in a very small city in Denmark and I felt a really big need to express myself in a way that I could - I had difficulty with my dyslexia, I had a really hard time writing and spelling at school so I always felt like I had to compensate with something else. I very quickly found out, that the most fun I had was actually in the mornings getting dressed. The interest of layering myself, becoming maybe something more exciting than what I was, because I felt really stupid throughout my whole childhood, so I think fashion was a way of expressing myself with my inner thoughts. And having some fun.
And what is it about print or embellishment specifically that you like?
Embellishment for me is about something sculptural. I like to do very large things - so right now I am working with ceramics, doing really large and 3D things. The way I see embellishment is that it is more about building something architectural. You can layer things out, you can build things up in metal, beads, anything really.
What do you like about the industry and what would you like to change?
As it is right now, I would like to change things. To start paying people enough money, so people can live.
You mean interns?
Yes interns, but also full time grown ups who work in the industry, who need to provide for themselves and their family if they want one.
I think the living standard for people who work in the fashion industry is extremely low.
When I went to do my placement in New York, I was shocked to see people in their 40s and 50s having room mates because they couldn’t afford not to, I think that is degrading and not acceptable, and they work 75 hours a week - it just doesn’t make sense, there is no other industry that treats people like we do.
You are from Denmark, do you think there is a difference between how fashion is viewed there? There seems to be strong ethical and sustainable values in Denmark.
Yes they definitely think we are absolutely crazy to work that amount of hours and especially weekends. We work so many hours. The standard working week in Denmark is I think 37 hours and anything above that is pretty insane, so even like 50 hours a week would be looked at as a big problem.
I think we should learn form that, we should learn many things from Denmark, such as the welfare system and free education.
How do you feel about Brexit affecting the creative industry?
I think it is going to harm the educational system in the UK.
Some of my friends have applied to the Art Academy in Amsterdam instead of in the UK because of what’s going on.
So there may be a change in the hierarchy in the leading art schools in Europe, because either people will not be able to afford to come to the UK or they can’t stay here.
I am worried about that.
Do you think though that despite Brexit-despite politics that have cut funding to the arts, do you think art can overcome that? That art can bring people or communities together?
Yes definitely, I also think any type of craftsmanship can bring people together. I am very curious at looking into craftsmanship, I think there’s a lot of heritage in craftsmanship in different cultures. If you look to the Middle East, you will find many crafts, or if you look to Norway, to Denmark, knitting is a big thing simply because of the climate-so I think through craftsmanships, you can connect different cultures really easily.
So it’s about sharing the heritage with each other and maybe through technology spreading it out
Yes definitely.
What drew you to fashion?
What initially drew me to fashion was that it was a way of expressing myself. I grew up in a very small city in Denmark and I felt a really big need to express myself in a way that I could - I had difficulty with my dyslexia, I had a really hard time writing and spelling at school so I always felt like I had to compensate with something else. I very quickly found out, that the most fun I had was actually in the mornings getting dressed. The interest of layering myself, becoming maybe something more exciting than what I was, because I felt really stupid throughout my whole childhood, so I think fashion was a way of expressing myself with my inner thoughts. And having some fun.
And what is it about print or embellishment specifically that you like?
Embellishment for me is about something sculptural. I like to do very large things - so right now I am working with ceramics, doing really large and 3D things. The way I see embellishment is that it is more about building something architectural. You can layer things out, you can build things up in metal, beads, anything really.
What do you like about the industry and what would you like to change?
As it is right now, I would like to change things. To start paying people enough money, so people can live.
You mean interns?
Yes interns, but also full time grown ups who work in the industry, who need to provide for themselves and their family if they want one.
I think the living standard for people who work in the fashion industry is extremely low.
When I went to do my placement in New York, I was shocked to see people in their 40s and 50s having room mates because they couldn’t afford not to, I think that is degrading and not acceptable, and they work 75 hours a week - it just doesn’t make sense, there is no other industry that treats people like we do.
You are from Denmark, do you think there is a difference between how fashion is viewed there? There seems to be strong ethical and sustainable values in Denmark.
Yes they definitely think we are absolutely crazy to work that amount of hours and especially weekends. We work so many hours. The standard working week in Denmark is I think 37 hours and anything above that is pretty insane, so even like 50 hours a week would be looked at as a big problem.
I think we should learn form that, we should learn many things from Denmark, such as the welfare system and free education.
How do you feel about Brexit affecting the creative industry?
I think it is going to harm the educational system in the UK.
Some of my friends have applied to the Art Academy in Amsterdam instead of in the UK because of what’s going on.
So there may be a change in the hierarchy in the leading art schools in Europe, because either people will not be able to afford to come to the UK or they can’t stay here.
I am worried about that.
Do you think though that despite Brexit-despite politics that have cut funding to the arts, do you think art can overcome that? That art can bring people or communities together?
Yes definitely, I also think any type of craftsmanship can bring people together. I am very curious at looking into craftsmanship, I think there’s a lot of heritage in craftsmanship in different cultures. If you look to the Middle East, you will find many crafts, or if you look to Norway, to Denmark, knitting is a big thing simply because of the climate-so I think through craftsmanships, you can connect different cultures really easily.
So it’s about sharing the heritage with each other and maybe through technology spreading it out
Yes definitely.
Wenjun Zhu
What do you like about fashion?
I regard fashion as a type of art, so we are making art, we explore ourselves, explore the world. It creates a space for me, like a very private place for me to explore the world. This has been with me growing up.
You were saying to me before that it helps you to answer any questions you have about life
A lot of topics we do in fashion are not just about fabrics and prints, but we explore issues - all the topics in our life, where we can see humanity, politics or technology.
And you do a lot of textile embellishments
What is it about textiles and print that you find fits your fashion?
I think historically in fashion, people did everything hand crafted; nowadays, especially High Street Fashion, that is changing. People are trying to find a way to balance handcraft and modern fashion, and I think we need to combine it with a new channel. We can do a more sustainable way, use new materials, to improve things.
So embellishment or embroidery can help to showcase sustainable methods?
I think so
And you were saying you like innovative materials?
Yes, like glass and metal. I use a lot of acrylic as well. Before, I used a lot of tape and plastic bags, just like a normal found material.
So you are really big into recycling
Yes
What are your hopes for the fashion industry?
In general, industries, have a union to protect them. In fashion the situation is a little bit too tough for all the workers - they work a lot, so I really wish we could have a union.
People coming together so that there would be more rights
Yes
You grew up in China, have you seen a difference between fashion in China and fashion in the UK?
I think at CSM when we do fashion, we really explore different topics. In China I think what people are considering are not as diverse as we do here.
What would you like to change in the industry?
I hope we can change other people -not in this industry - but other people’s view to fashion.
What do you like about fashion?
I regard fashion as a type of art, so we are making art, we explore ourselves, explore the world. It creates a space for me, like a very private place for me to explore the world. This has been with me growing up.
You were saying to me before that it helps you to answer any questions you have about life
A lot of topics we do in fashion are not just about fabrics and prints, but we explore issues - all the topics in our life, where we can see humanity, politics or technology.
And you do a lot of textile embellishments
What is it about textiles and print that you find fits your fashion?
I think historically in fashion, people did everything hand crafted; nowadays, especially High Street Fashion, that is changing. People are trying to find a way to balance handcraft and modern fashion, and I think we need to combine it with a new channel. We can do a more sustainable way, use new materials, to improve things.
So embellishment or embroidery can help to showcase sustainable methods?
I think so
And you were saying you like innovative materials?
Yes, like glass and metal. I use a lot of acrylic as well. Before, I used a lot of tape and plastic bags, just like a normal found material.
So you are really big into recycling
Yes
What are your hopes for the fashion industry?
In general, industries, have a union to protect them. In fashion the situation is a little bit too tough for all the workers - they work a lot, so I really wish we could have a union.
People coming together so that there would be more rights
Yes
You grew up in China, have you seen a difference between fashion in China and fashion in the UK?
I think at CSM when we do fashion, we really explore different topics. In China I think what people are considering are not as diverse as we do here.
What would you like to change in the industry?
I hope we can change other people -not in this industry - but other people’s view to fashion.
Hinako Nakazawa
What do you like about fashion?
I like fashion because I can explain myself without any words.
It gives you a voice
Yes
Is there something you like specifically about print, is it the colours or the drawing?
When I work on my prints I think a lot about my texture. That is the interesting point for me about print.
And what do you hope for the future of fashion?
I think now there are some opportunities for young designers and for many people, for the future of fashion, I would say, more opportunities to buy up and coming brands.
Do you think fashion is a way to bring people or countries together, people use terms such as East and West, do you think fashion could be a good tool to bring communication and understanding?
Yes I think so because they are at difference points between countries.
Are there differences between how fashion is viewed in Asia and how it is viewed in the UK or have you have found similarities?
I am from Japan and there are different attitudes in Japan and in UK. The UK and Europe are more open minded, Japan is a bit more conservative. I just love fashion wherever it is.
What do you like about fashion?
I like fashion because I can explain myself without any words.
It gives you a voice
Yes
Is there something you like specifically about print, is it the colours or the drawing?
When I work on my prints I think a lot about my texture. That is the interesting point for me about print.
And what do you hope for the future of fashion?
I think now there are some opportunities for young designers and for many people, for the future of fashion, I would say, more opportunities to buy up and coming brands.
Do you think fashion is a way to bring people or countries together, people use terms such as East and West, do you think fashion could be a good tool to bring communication and understanding?
Yes I think so because they are at difference points between countries.
Are there differences between how fashion is viewed in Asia and how it is viewed in the UK or have you have found similarities?
I am from Japan and there are different attitudes in Japan and in UK. The UK and Europe are more open minded, Japan is a bit more conservative. I just love fashion wherever it is.
Manon Malan
Why did you choose fashion?
I learnt tailoring in Switzerland and next to that I had an art collective. We had official and non official exhibitions and some exhibitions in galleries. What I realised was that I always saw the same faces, and it made me think that I should either do art on the streets or take action on the streets, not everyone goes to a gallery or a museum.
So then I thought, I would like to learn a practice and decided to apply to Central St Martins to study fashion and print and use it to print art or messages, and people may wear it. They can literally walk around with a statement and a piece of art on the streets.
Is that what you like about print specifically, mixing art with fashion?
It can be a graphic design, it can be an illustration, it can be provocative, but it also can be a nice decoration. You could wear a scarf, maybe it looks nice, but if you actually open it up you may see something else, a message of some type.
A hidden message
It’s a really open medium, it’s like a book almost.
What do you think fashion can do for society? Do you think it can be a good tool to aid people?
I think it can do way more than it does at the moment. I definitely think it helps some people to express themselves.
I think it is important we think about it in that way. Just having a great new look is not making the world better, we have to think about how we do it and with who we do it and where the material comes from.
So do you think fashion can be a language for some deeper meaning?
Yes for sure, I think fashion is like art, I don’t separate fashion so far from art. Of course it also is about people wearing clothes for the everyday, but that's a way of expression. My expression, is that I want to treat it like art.
What are you passionate about? What are you looking to?
I like big stuff so it’s not wearable everyday, I still want to make special things. I dream of making pieces for artists or musicians. So clothes that are not for everyday use but something special with meaning.
Is there something that you would like to change in the fashion industry or that you hope for the future of fashion?
It’s really interesting to mix with other disciplines, so I think fashion should be more collaborative with film or with art, or with performance art. I think that presenting fashion on the catwalk is kind of over and I would do everything to make an unusual show.
Why did you choose fashion?
I learnt tailoring in Switzerland and next to that I had an art collective. We had official and non official exhibitions and some exhibitions in galleries. What I realised was that I always saw the same faces, and it made me think that I should either do art on the streets or take action on the streets, not everyone goes to a gallery or a museum.
So then I thought, I would like to learn a practice and decided to apply to Central St Martins to study fashion and print and use it to print art or messages, and people may wear it. They can literally walk around with a statement and a piece of art on the streets.
Is that what you like about print specifically, mixing art with fashion?
It can be a graphic design, it can be an illustration, it can be provocative, but it also can be a nice decoration. You could wear a scarf, maybe it looks nice, but if you actually open it up you may see something else, a message of some type.
A hidden message
It’s a really open medium, it’s like a book almost.
What do you think fashion can do for society? Do you think it can be a good tool to aid people?
I think it can do way more than it does at the moment. I definitely think it helps some people to express themselves.
I think it is important we think about it in that way. Just having a great new look is not making the world better, we have to think about how we do it and with who we do it and where the material comes from.
So do you think fashion can be a language for some deeper meaning?
Yes for sure, I think fashion is like art, I don’t separate fashion so far from art. Of course it also is about people wearing clothes for the everyday, but that's a way of expression. My expression, is that I want to treat it like art.
What are you passionate about? What are you looking to?
I like big stuff so it’s not wearable everyday, I still want to make special things. I dream of making pieces for artists or musicians. So clothes that are not for everyday use but something special with meaning.
Is there something that you would like to change in the fashion industry or that you hope for the future of fashion?
It’s really interesting to mix with other disciplines, so I think fashion should be more collaborative with film or with art, or with performance art. I think that presenting fashion on the catwalk is kind of over and I would do everything to make an unusual show.
Masha Popova
Why did you choose to study fashion?
You can change your opinion towards different things about every half a year. In contrast, something like architecture you have to work for years on the same project. Or in any other job, your life is mainly always the same. With fashion, you can dip into a different world every half a year or every fashion season, and experiencing new things.
Is there something about print or embellishment that you specifically like?
It gives you another way to express yourself through the texture.
It’s like a visual reflection of what you feel.
You grew up in the Ukraine, what is the industry like?
There is no real industry in the Ukraine, it’s kind of starting though. There is not much attention to fashion in Ukraine because of the politics and because of the war. That is where the attention of the country goes to, and to what is happening everyday. But there never was like a real industry there, it was just young people trying to do something. There is not much support and no platform, real platform at least, but things are starting.
Do you think fashion could help the country?
It does already help actually, because it brings attention to the country through the fashion or through the art, more than anything else - apart from about the war that is.
It is showing the country in a positive light.
Can fashion maybe help with the economy of the country?
Maybe. I know some designers who work there and it’s actually really hard for them because of the lack of possibilities to actually work.
But yeah I think it actually can be positive.
What are your hopes for the fashion industry in general and what do you hope as a designer to bring to the industry?
The industry is great and bad at the same time.
I was interning but I don’t feel part of the industry.
You have a voice and you make beautiful garments
Well let’s see, what this voice gonna achieve
You want to surprise people?
I wanna surprise myself
Seeing your work, you are making beauty from construction and deconstruction
Yes it’s kind of the mixture of that and of beauty and ugliness.
So it’s that mix, you’re showing beauty from something that people might see as ugly?
Yes.
I don’t have a fashion memory from my childhood, there was no fashion in the 90s after the Soviet Union collapsed - so it is kind of like my appropriation of what beauty is and what fashion is, because I didn’t have fashion magazines, I didn’t see people wearing fashionable clothes, everyone was like the same.
Why did you choose to study fashion?
You can change your opinion towards different things about every half a year. In contrast, something like architecture you have to work for years on the same project. Or in any other job, your life is mainly always the same. With fashion, you can dip into a different world every half a year or every fashion season, and experiencing new things.
Is there something about print or embellishment that you specifically like?
It gives you another way to express yourself through the texture.
It’s like a visual reflection of what you feel.
You grew up in the Ukraine, what is the industry like?
There is no real industry in the Ukraine, it’s kind of starting though. There is not much attention to fashion in Ukraine because of the politics and because of the war. That is where the attention of the country goes to, and to what is happening everyday. But there never was like a real industry there, it was just young people trying to do something. There is not much support and no platform, real platform at least, but things are starting.
Do you think fashion could help the country?
It does already help actually, because it brings attention to the country through the fashion or through the art, more than anything else - apart from about the war that is.
It is showing the country in a positive light.
Can fashion maybe help with the economy of the country?
Maybe. I know some designers who work there and it’s actually really hard for them because of the lack of possibilities to actually work.
But yeah I think it actually can be positive.
What are your hopes for the fashion industry in general and what do you hope as a designer to bring to the industry?
The industry is great and bad at the same time.
I was interning but I don’t feel part of the industry.
You have a voice and you make beautiful garments
Well let’s see, what this voice gonna achieve
You want to surprise people?
I wanna surprise myself
Seeing your work, you are making beauty from construction and deconstruction
Yes it’s kind of the mixture of that and of beauty and ugliness.
So it’s that mix, you’re showing beauty from something that people might see as ugly?
Yes.
I don’t have a fashion memory from my childhood, there was no fashion in the 90s after the Soviet Union collapsed - so it is kind of like my appropriation of what beauty is and what fashion is, because I didn’t have fashion magazines, I didn’t see people wearing fashionable clothes, everyone was like the same.
Claire Cooper
What do you like about fashion?
I wouldn’t say that I particularly like fashion, I would say that I quite like making things, and I love clothes. I used to be quite shy and I felt that clothes were a way of showing people that I am not boring, and it was a way to have fun. There are things in fashion that you can convey without having to say anything.
Is there something about embroidery or print that you particularly like?
I really love embroidery, it’s something I’ve done for a long time, when I was little, I used to knit with my grandmother, and I made it into my own kind of way. I kept working on at it and now I make really really big, giant embroideries. You can do so much with embroidery.
You used to embroider with your grandmother, do you feel that embroidery or even fashion is a tool that can bring different generations together, different communities together.
I definitely think so even though my grandmother and I have different embroidery styles. I do all these monsters in embroidery, quite manly things, and she always wants me to do feminine, ribbon or flower embroideries, which I do think is really beautiful but I want to express myself differently. Sometimes she doesn’t really understand that. I think that it’s interesting that although she has given back to me a technique, a craft, tastes have changed. She does though like elements of what I’ve done, but it’s like a generation gap that kind of thing.
You can take skills from years ago from other generations and make them contemporary and modern for new audiences .
She has given you a craft and you are placing it in the future with your expression
You mentioned you were very shy, Has it helped with your shyness?
I think so, doing this course, has made me feel so much more confident. I’ve had to put myself out into the world and talk to people and be confident about what I am doing. Because I feel when you do something it’s a reflection of you. If I don’t like what I’ve done, I get kind of frustrated about that. Making clothes, making something more and more perfect, is like a way of improving your expression and I feel like I’ve gotten more confident.
Do you think the arts, the crafts as tools, should be more accessible to children?
I think so, because otherwise, we will lose our sense of culture. I think culture is really important, because it teaches us how to look at things and how to judge things and have our own opinions, rather than follow everyone else or what the newspapers say. It teaches you to question what the newspapers say.
What are your hopes for the fashion industry?
I really hope that it keeps going, that it keeps staying creative, and that people are still excited about it.
What do you like about fashion?
I wouldn’t say that I particularly like fashion, I would say that I quite like making things, and I love clothes. I used to be quite shy and I felt that clothes were a way of showing people that I am not boring, and it was a way to have fun. There are things in fashion that you can convey without having to say anything.
Is there something about embroidery or print that you particularly like?
I really love embroidery, it’s something I’ve done for a long time, when I was little, I used to knit with my grandmother, and I made it into my own kind of way. I kept working on at it and now I make really really big, giant embroideries. You can do so much with embroidery.
You used to embroider with your grandmother, do you feel that embroidery or even fashion is a tool that can bring different generations together, different communities together.
I definitely think so even though my grandmother and I have different embroidery styles. I do all these monsters in embroidery, quite manly things, and she always wants me to do feminine, ribbon or flower embroideries, which I do think is really beautiful but I want to express myself differently. Sometimes she doesn’t really understand that. I think that it’s interesting that although she has given back to me a technique, a craft, tastes have changed. She does though like elements of what I’ve done, but it’s like a generation gap that kind of thing.
You can take skills from years ago from other generations and make them contemporary and modern for new audiences .
She has given you a craft and you are placing it in the future with your expression
You mentioned you were very shy, Has it helped with your shyness?
I think so, doing this course, has made me feel so much more confident. I’ve had to put myself out into the world and talk to people and be confident about what I am doing. Because I feel when you do something it’s a reflection of you. If I don’t like what I’ve done, I get kind of frustrated about that. Making clothes, making something more and more perfect, is like a way of improving your expression and I feel like I’ve gotten more confident.
Do you think the arts, the crafts as tools, should be more accessible to children?
I think so, because otherwise, we will lose our sense of culture. I think culture is really important, because it teaches us how to look at things and how to judge things and have our own opinions, rather than follow everyone else or what the newspapers say. It teaches you to question what the newspapers say.
What are your hopes for the fashion industry?
I really hope that it keeps going, that it keeps staying creative, and that people are still excited about it.
Ania Rekas
What do you like about fashion?
It’s a difficult question actually - I like the idea that I can mix everything in fashion, such as art, painting, drawing, sculpture. It’s a bit of everything.
So it’s like a moving art work for you
Exactly - you can wear it. It’s useful and on the other hand it’s art, and that’s what I like in fashion.
Is that part of why you like print and embellishment?
Yes, print is my main thing. I really like print
Is it because you like drawing?
It’s because I like print making and I like visual imagery. From my perspective, of everything, it’s the strongest element in fashion.
And do you feel like fashion has given you a voice?
I think fashion can give a voice if someone wants to talk about as you had mentioned, politics or other important things such as gender.
It can change things actually.
What are your hopes for the future of the fashion industry?
Fashion is becoming more sustainable and so I think it would go even more into that direction.
Do you think sustainable fashion has become a norm or do you feel, like it's being treated as another trend?
I think it is probably a bit a trend, but it’s good that, it’s a good that it is a trend.
Yes, It’s an important trend
Fashion can be really sustainable and we can start to change a bit at least.
And there’s more work to be done
Exactly, It’s just the beginning
What is fashion like in Poland where you grew up?
In Poland it is about clothes you can wear, it’s not about art and all the stuff we can make here at CSM.
The creative industry is so linked across Europe, are you worried that Brexit will separate that creative bond or union, or can art and fashion surpass that?
I hope it will be ok - i hope that nothing changes.
What do you like about fashion?
It’s a difficult question actually - I like the idea that I can mix everything in fashion, such as art, painting, drawing, sculpture. It’s a bit of everything.
So it’s like a moving art work for you
Exactly - you can wear it. It’s useful and on the other hand it’s art, and that’s what I like in fashion.
Is that part of why you like print and embellishment?
Yes, print is my main thing. I really like print
Is it because you like drawing?
It’s because I like print making and I like visual imagery. From my perspective, of everything, it’s the strongest element in fashion.
And do you feel like fashion has given you a voice?
I think fashion can give a voice if someone wants to talk about as you had mentioned, politics or other important things such as gender.
It can change things actually.
What are your hopes for the future of the fashion industry?
Fashion is becoming more sustainable and so I think it would go even more into that direction.
Do you think sustainable fashion has become a norm or do you feel, like it's being treated as another trend?
I think it is probably a bit a trend, but it’s good that, it’s a good that it is a trend.
Yes, It’s an important trend
Fashion can be really sustainable and we can start to change a bit at least.
And there’s more work to be done
Exactly, It’s just the beginning
What is fashion like in Poland where you grew up?
In Poland it is about clothes you can wear, it’s not about art and all the stuff we can make here at CSM.
The creative industry is so linked across Europe, are you worried that Brexit will separate that creative bond or union, or can art and fashion surpass that?
I hope it will be ok - i hope that nothing changes.
Magda Marczewska
What do you like about fashion?
I really like that it combines different forms of art, it can be performance art, it can be a painting, it can include a drawing. Previously I used to do art in art college, so I love sculpture and drawing, also I can express that in fashion.
Do you feel like you are sculpting the body, playing with the proportions of the body?
Yes, I am creating big sculptural shapes for my final collection, oversized, big puffa jackets, so I feel like I am sculpting.
And what is it about print that you like, why did you choose print?
I can really focus on colour, on shapes and drawing. I love drawing, so I can use my drawing skills with my love to work digitally in Photoshop and in illustrator and create whatever I want.
What are your hopes for the future of the fashion industry, what do you like and dislike and what do you hope to change?
I like that fashion is becoming gender neutral - this I find really exciting and this is actually what I am trying to do, gender neutral style.
I would also like to do menswear in future and bring more colour to menswear, because I feel like there is a lot more to discover in that field.
Do you think fashion is a good tool to express certain topics?
I think it is, however I am not a supporter of discussing very important topics which can be quite sensitive to be used in fashion. I view fashion as fun for me, it’s stuff we wear, I like to see how people wear things. Sometimes important topics, are too sensitive to go into though fashion, but it also depends on how you do it.
What is fashion like in Poland where you grew up?
In Poland fashion is more commercial. A fashion designer is not viewed as an artist, just as a clothes maker.
Are you worried that Brexit might break the creative union that there is or do creative people or groups of people find a way to unite despite it?
I think people will find a way, I don’t think it will change anything that much, but we will see.
It hasn't affected me yet. So It’s difficult to say.
Creativity will win over politics.
Yes
What do you like about fashion?
I really like that it combines different forms of art, it can be performance art, it can be a painting, it can include a drawing. Previously I used to do art in art college, so I love sculpture and drawing, also I can express that in fashion.
Do you feel like you are sculpting the body, playing with the proportions of the body?
Yes, I am creating big sculptural shapes for my final collection, oversized, big puffa jackets, so I feel like I am sculpting.
And what is it about print that you like, why did you choose print?
I can really focus on colour, on shapes and drawing. I love drawing, so I can use my drawing skills with my love to work digitally in Photoshop and in illustrator and create whatever I want.
What are your hopes for the future of the fashion industry, what do you like and dislike and what do you hope to change?
I like that fashion is becoming gender neutral - this I find really exciting and this is actually what I am trying to do, gender neutral style.
I would also like to do menswear in future and bring more colour to menswear, because I feel like there is a lot more to discover in that field.
Do you think fashion is a good tool to express certain topics?
I think it is, however I am not a supporter of discussing very important topics which can be quite sensitive to be used in fashion. I view fashion as fun for me, it’s stuff we wear, I like to see how people wear things. Sometimes important topics, are too sensitive to go into though fashion, but it also depends on how you do it.
What is fashion like in Poland where you grew up?
In Poland fashion is more commercial. A fashion designer is not viewed as an artist, just as a clothes maker.
Are you worried that Brexit might break the creative union that there is or do creative people or groups of people find a way to unite despite it?
I think people will find a way, I don’t think it will change anything that much, but we will see.
It hasn't affected me yet. So It’s difficult to say.
Creativity will win over politics.
Yes
Courtney Howarth
What drew you to fashion?
I don’t really know to be honest, I just kind off fell into to it. I’ve always been arty and at school in 6th form, I fell into it. As I’ve always hand-painted and drew things, It kind of felt natural.
Is there something specifically about print, do you feel like it as a tool to express yourself?
Especially with this course it is so free, so if you wanted to make a political statement or something then you could.
Is there something about the industry that you like or dislike or that you would like to change?
Through placement year I have really seen what I don’t like about fashion. I’m not put off fashion as an industry but I don’t really want to go into fashion design any more.
Do you feel like the industry needs shape up?
I think it really needs to be more sustainable definitely. Sustainability is such a big thing, and people think about it - but the actual big companies need to put that into practice.
When I was on placement year, they were not sustainable at all. I just hated how wasteful they were and they knew they were being wasteful but they didn’t care.
And is that your hope for the future?
Yeah it needs to happen, I mean, otherwise it’s never gonna change.
Maybe you can be that change.
Maybe.
What drew you to fashion?
I don’t really know to be honest, I just kind off fell into to it. I’ve always been arty and at school in 6th form, I fell into it. As I’ve always hand-painted and drew things, It kind of felt natural.
Is there something specifically about print, do you feel like it as a tool to express yourself?
Especially with this course it is so free, so if you wanted to make a political statement or something then you could.
Is there something about the industry that you like or dislike or that you would like to change?
Through placement year I have really seen what I don’t like about fashion. I’m not put off fashion as an industry but I don’t really want to go into fashion design any more.
Do you feel like the industry needs shape up?
I think it really needs to be more sustainable definitely. Sustainability is such a big thing, and people think about it - but the actual big companies need to put that into practice.
When I was on placement year, they were not sustainable at all. I just hated how wasteful they were and they knew they were being wasteful but they didn’t care.
And is that your hope for the future?
Yeah it needs to happen, I mean, otherwise it’s never gonna change.
Maybe you can be that change.
Maybe.
Hannah Hall
What drew you to fashion?
I moved to London When I was 16, and I had to choose what I wanted to do for a college course. Where I am from, fashion is not really even an option. It’s more like you can go and do a trade kind of a job, so when I saw that fashion was an option, I started to do it. It was completely by accident. At first I kind of did it just for fun, I didn’t even realise that it was a serious industry until I started to get educated about it. Then i realised it was like one of the biggest industries in the world. I grew up in a small town and then I ended up going onto a foundation course and then I came onto St Martins.
What do you like about Print or embellishment?
I like that you can take the fabric and make it much more personal and put your footprint onto it, rather than just take a fabric and make it into a silhouette. With much of my work, I do a lot of hand painting and hand drawing which makes it a lot more personal.
And do you feel like fashion has given you a tool to express yourself?
Yes for sure, a lot of my work is very personal to me or based around me and it’s kind of like a way to talk about things that you don’t always talk about. I do that especially through my paintings.
So you use art and fashion as your language
Yes it’s quite an empowerment thing.
Do you have any hopes for the future of the fashion industry or for fashion itself?
I want to make it so that it’s more accessible to people from lower income backgrounds.
I think at the moment with unpaid internships it’s making it more for the middle class and less for the working class.
Obviously at the same time, the industry loves to appropriate the working class, yet they don’t make it possible for the working class to work in the industry - once you graduate you need a job that pays, but there are no paid jobs, so then it’s just unfair.
What do you hope people get out of fashion?
Do you hope they take it as an art, like a moving art?
I think it should be seen as a movement.
These days people are definitely putting more of their feelings, and opinions, so I hope that people take that from it and understand it in that way also, rather than just pretty garments or something.
Charlotte Diercks
What drew you to fashion?
I think it mostly was the possibilities of working with different techniques, especially working at CSM, you can do so many different things, it’s not fashion in the traditional sense like it is anywhere else, and I think that’s what made me interested in it.
How is fashion viewed in Germany where you grew up?
It’s not considered a serious subject.
How come?
Because in Germany we don’t really have a Fashion Industry, my friends in Germany don’t think what I am doing is very difficult. They really don’t understand how much you have to put into this.
In Germany if you study something it’s either academic or engineering, that's more important.
What is it about print that you like?
I really like working with colours, print is good for that.
The Print Course here, it’s not just print, it’s more like surface techniques. That’s what I like about it the most.
Do you view fashion as a tool to express yourself?
Yes
Are you worried about Brexit or do you think creativity and creative people who work in the industry will surpass that?
I am very worried about it actually, because until this day I don’t really know if I can stay in the UK. I have built a life here, so I would really like to stay.
And if you are scared, when you don’t really know about the future, then that hinders your creativity a bit. Because It means you are not as free as maybe you would like to be. I feel like this really influences your creativity.
What are your hopes for the industry?
I hope it to be more inclusive, but also to be more inclusive of young talent. To understand that you don’t have to have 30 years of experience to do something.
When I did my internships, it was very divided between the company and the interns. I wish there would be more of a collaboration, and people’s talents would be seen.
What drew you to fashion?
I think it mostly was the possibilities of working with different techniques, especially working at CSM, you can do so many different things, it’s not fashion in the traditional sense like it is anywhere else, and I think that’s what made me interested in it.
How is fashion viewed in Germany where you grew up?
It’s not considered a serious subject.
How come?
Because in Germany we don’t really have a Fashion Industry, my friends in Germany don’t think what I am doing is very difficult. They really don’t understand how much you have to put into this.
In Germany if you study something it’s either academic or engineering, that's more important.
What is it about print that you like?
I really like working with colours, print is good for that.
The Print Course here, it’s not just print, it’s more like surface techniques. That’s what I like about it the most.
Do you view fashion as a tool to express yourself?
Yes
Are you worried about Brexit or do you think creativity and creative people who work in the industry will surpass that?
I am very worried about it actually, because until this day I don’t really know if I can stay in the UK. I have built a life here, so I would really like to stay.
And if you are scared, when you don’t really know about the future, then that hinders your creativity a bit. Because It means you are not as free as maybe you would like to be. I feel like this really influences your creativity.
What are your hopes for the industry?
I hope it to be more inclusive, but also to be more inclusive of young talent. To understand that you don’t have to have 30 years of experience to do something.
When I did my internships, it was very divided between the company and the interns. I wish there would be more of a collaboration, and people’s talents would be seen.
Jack Roughley
What drew you to fashion?
I was always more of an artist; at school I was always drawing and painting. With this course, I could bring those sort of elements to it, you can blend them with fashion and they become art pieces to wear.
Before this course, I didn’t know how to sew, I didn’t grow up sewing or anything like that, so to me it was a challenge in itself to sort of build the two together, so that I could achieve it in a way that is still me but still fashion-y.
Is that what you like specifically about print, the fact that it fuses fashion with art?
Print is the pathway I always wanted to do. Drawing or print come first for me and the clothes follow. The clothes are important but the print is the main thing.
What do you think fashion means for society? From your perspective, is there a deeper meaning to it?
Yes because even if someone says 'oh I am not concerned with fashion or I don’t like fashion', they are still in it, because they wear clothes. So everyone is part of it, wether you are into high fashion or low fashion, everyone is consumed by it, because everyone wears clothes.
Regardless of what someone wears, they are still telling a story, conveying what they want to the world and how they want people to see them.
Telling who they are in a visual manner to the world.
Is there something you would like to change in the fashion industry?
Some people are so concerned with what other people think and they are quite scared to wear certain outfits and walk down the streets. They are scared of what people may think and I believe that people need to forget about that and just dress how they want and just be more authentically them.
What drew you to fashion?
I was always more of an artist; at school I was always drawing and painting. With this course, I could bring those sort of elements to it, you can blend them with fashion and they become art pieces to wear.
Before this course, I didn’t know how to sew, I didn’t grow up sewing or anything like that, so to me it was a challenge in itself to sort of build the two together, so that I could achieve it in a way that is still me but still fashion-y.
Is that what you like specifically about print, the fact that it fuses fashion with art?
Print is the pathway I always wanted to do. Drawing or print come first for me and the clothes follow. The clothes are important but the print is the main thing.
What do you think fashion means for society? From your perspective, is there a deeper meaning to it?
Yes because even if someone says 'oh I am not concerned with fashion or I don’t like fashion', they are still in it, because they wear clothes. So everyone is part of it, wether you are into high fashion or low fashion, everyone is consumed by it, because everyone wears clothes.
Regardless of what someone wears, they are still telling a story, conveying what they want to the world and how they want people to see them.
Telling who they are in a visual manner to the world.
Is there something you would like to change in the fashion industry?
Some people are so concerned with what other people think and they are quite scared to wear certain outfits and walk down the streets. They are scared of what people may think and I believe that people need to forget about that and just dress how they want and just be more authentically them.
Edith Bolonyi
What drew you to fashion and what do you like about it?
I come from a working class background, no one that I know ever did fashion or art ever. At school I was good at graphic design and art, and so just by myself I went to college and applied. I studied fine art and then I was making my own stuff and all the tutors around me where saying to me that I should maybe try and make some clothes so I did, and that’s kind of how it all happened. Along the way, I met the right people and they taught me about CSM. Art really drew me into fashion.
So do you think what you like about print specifically, is that fusion of art within fashion?
Definitely, I don’t think I could have done another pathway because I really like the aspect of painting and colour on clothes, especially in Menswear. I do menswear and that is all I wanted to do, to dress the boys that I am surround by and put them in colour.
What is is specifically about designing Menswear?
I feel like it’s almost more empowering as a woman to dress men. I feel like men are always dressing women, and almost sexualising them, I mean the female body is over-sexualised anyway, in so many ways, but I think it’s quite powerful as a woman to dress men in what I find attractive and that’s kind of what the root of my collection is. It is the female gaze.
What do you think fashion means in society? Do you think there is a deeper meaning to it?
I think there is but I think it is something that is very much overlooked because if you think about it, even if we don’t want to admit it, the first thing you notice when you look at someone is the way they present themselves, so it really is a presentation of what you like, or it can be.
Some people only use it as a utility, as in you have to get dressed, but even in that there’s a craft, even in a T-Shirt. I think there can be meaning in fashion, but I don’t think there always is.
Is there something you would like to change in the industry, do you think there should be more opportunities for people to go into fashion?
Definitely. When I told my family I wanted to study fashion, eyes were rolled; they were kind of saying, you will never have money until you are 35 and all of that, and I think that is a bit sad.
One of the things that I’ve learnt especially on my year out, is that interning is great and it can teach you many things, however now that I’ve finished my degree, I will never work for free for anybody nor do I expect anyone to work for free for me. So either I am collaborating with people or literally paying someone to help me out with things. I kind of expect the same. I can come in and do a job and be paid or this can be a collaboration where my name is put on it and get some profit as well, but I don’t want to do any work for free anymore because I think that’s a big thing, you know, we all need to pay the rent, we all need to live, we all have necessities, and I don’t see why especially in the art industry and in fashion we don’t get paid, especially if you are young, I don’t think that is ok.
What drew you to fashion and what do you like about it?
I come from a working class background, no one that I know ever did fashion or art ever. At school I was good at graphic design and art, and so just by myself I went to college and applied. I studied fine art and then I was making my own stuff and all the tutors around me where saying to me that I should maybe try and make some clothes so I did, and that’s kind of how it all happened. Along the way, I met the right people and they taught me about CSM. Art really drew me into fashion.
So do you think what you like about print specifically, is that fusion of art within fashion?
Definitely, I don’t think I could have done another pathway because I really like the aspect of painting and colour on clothes, especially in Menswear. I do menswear and that is all I wanted to do, to dress the boys that I am surround by and put them in colour.
What is is specifically about designing Menswear?
I feel like it’s almost more empowering as a woman to dress men. I feel like men are always dressing women, and almost sexualising them, I mean the female body is over-sexualised anyway, in so many ways, but I think it’s quite powerful as a woman to dress men in what I find attractive and that’s kind of what the root of my collection is. It is the female gaze.
What do you think fashion means in society? Do you think there is a deeper meaning to it?
I think there is but I think it is something that is very much overlooked because if you think about it, even if we don’t want to admit it, the first thing you notice when you look at someone is the way they present themselves, so it really is a presentation of what you like, or it can be.
Some people only use it as a utility, as in you have to get dressed, but even in that there’s a craft, even in a T-Shirt. I think there can be meaning in fashion, but I don’t think there always is.
Is there something you would like to change in the industry, do you think there should be more opportunities for people to go into fashion?
Definitely. When I told my family I wanted to study fashion, eyes were rolled; they were kind of saying, you will never have money until you are 35 and all of that, and I think that is a bit sad.
One of the things that I’ve learnt especially on my year out, is that interning is great and it can teach you many things, however now that I’ve finished my degree, I will never work for free for anybody nor do I expect anyone to work for free for me. So either I am collaborating with people or literally paying someone to help me out with things. I kind of expect the same. I can come in and do a job and be paid or this can be a collaboration where my name is put on it and get some profit as well, but I don’t want to do any work for free anymore because I think that’s a big thing, you know, we all need to pay the rent, we all need to live, we all have necessities, and I don’t see why especially in the art industry and in fashion we don’t get paid, especially if you are young, I don’t think that is ok.
Melissa M
What do you like about fashion?
I like that it’s a form of self expression and that you can do what you want really.
For me it’s not really about trends or anything like that, I just wanted to do my own thing.
Do you think there is a deeper meaning to fashion beyond just wearing clothes?
For me it’s just about clothes.
A visual thing
Yes like a visual, I am having fun with it.
What is it specifically about print that you like?
From a young age, I loved drawing. My mum who is here with me now, used to give me lots of colouring books and I aways used to colour them in when I was younger, that got me into a creative atmosphere and at school I didn’t enjoy anything apart from drawing, art or visuals.
Do you feel like drawing is therapeutic in a way? You can use your voice through drawing?
When I was younger, it was just something to do and I really enjoyed it.
Are you influenced by both London and Hong Kong? How is the fashion in Hong Kong?
London is such a big city, it is more diverse. In Hong Kong, they don’t think in trends like they do here in London, where there is a fashion week. In Hong Kong everyone wears what they want and they wear lots of funny t-shirts, it feels like a natural combo. They don’t realise when they are trendy, so it’s more casual than a bigger city and there are no big fashion colleagues like CSM there.
Do you have a hope for the future of fashion?
Just that it’s fun and individual.
You said you like drawing when you were younger, do you think it is important that art is more accessible for children, that in schools the arts should be more considered?
Yes definitely the arts are pushed too much aside, and a lot of secondary schools or primary schools especially in London thrive to work just towards an academic career and then arts are pushed aside. But I feel, the arts are really important because everything is designed and I think creativity is really important in young people to open their minds.
What do you like about fashion?
I like that it’s a form of self expression and that you can do what you want really.
For me it’s not really about trends or anything like that, I just wanted to do my own thing.
Do you think there is a deeper meaning to fashion beyond just wearing clothes?
For me it’s just about clothes.
A visual thing
Yes like a visual, I am having fun with it.
What is it specifically about print that you like?
From a young age, I loved drawing. My mum who is here with me now, used to give me lots of colouring books and I aways used to colour them in when I was younger, that got me into a creative atmosphere and at school I didn’t enjoy anything apart from drawing, art or visuals.
Do you feel like drawing is therapeutic in a way? You can use your voice through drawing?
When I was younger, it was just something to do and I really enjoyed it.
Are you influenced by both London and Hong Kong? How is the fashion in Hong Kong?
London is such a big city, it is more diverse. In Hong Kong, they don’t think in trends like they do here in London, where there is a fashion week. In Hong Kong everyone wears what they want and they wear lots of funny t-shirts, it feels like a natural combo. They don’t realise when they are trendy, so it’s more casual than a bigger city and there are no big fashion colleagues like CSM there.
Do you have a hope for the future of fashion?
Just that it’s fun and individual.
You said you like drawing when you were younger, do you think it is important that art is more accessible for children, that in schools the arts should be more considered?
Yes definitely the arts are pushed too much aside, and a lot of secondary schools or primary schools especially in London thrive to work just towards an academic career and then arts are pushed aside. But I feel, the arts are really important because everything is designed and I think creativity is really important in young people to open their minds.
Yuting Zhu
What do you like about fashion?
I like colours and I like printing and I want to use modern techniques with some traditional ones. I hand paint on paper and then I scan them and then I draw with the computer. For my final collection, I did some screen printing and I also scanned some drawings to use illustrator and photoshop. I used a vinyl cutting machine and paper stencils. I like craft things, so after the cutting, I fix things by hand. It’s good to combine different elements together.
So you mix drawing and digital art in your work
I got my inspiration for my collection from films such as Mary Poppins and the Wizard of Oz. Suddenly you get into a mystery world and it’s a journey. I researched this and I wanted to create my own utopian world. I started hand painting and drawings my research then I tried to make them into my garments.
So you are trying to create your Utopian world?
Yes
So do you think fashion has given you a path to do that?
Do you think people want to create their own world through fashion?
Yes I think so.
I want to do some more interesting and different things in fashion, and a different process of printing.
Is there something you want to change in the industry, or things that you like or that you don’t like?
Actually I don’t really like fast fashion. There needs to be more hand craft things, but I understand that hand craft pieces sometimes take a really long time and it costs a lots more too, so I want to combine, having hand crafted fashion with modern elements, so I am working alongside the computer.
So technology for you is a good tool to bring back the old craft into the modern times
Yes, to combine modernity with traditional craft and make couture type pieces.
What do you like about fashion?
I like colours and I like printing and I want to use modern techniques with some traditional ones. I hand paint on paper and then I scan them and then I draw with the computer. For my final collection, I did some screen printing and I also scanned some drawings to use illustrator and photoshop. I used a vinyl cutting machine and paper stencils. I like craft things, so after the cutting, I fix things by hand. It’s good to combine different elements together.
So you mix drawing and digital art in your work
I got my inspiration for my collection from films such as Mary Poppins and the Wizard of Oz. Suddenly you get into a mystery world and it’s a journey. I researched this and I wanted to create my own utopian world. I started hand painting and drawings my research then I tried to make them into my garments.
So you are trying to create your Utopian world?
Yes
So do you think fashion has given you a path to do that?
Do you think people want to create their own world through fashion?
Yes I think so.
I want to do some more interesting and different things in fashion, and a different process of printing.
Is there something you want to change in the industry, or things that you like or that you don’t like?
Actually I don’t really like fast fashion. There needs to be more hand craft things, but I understand that hand craft pieces sometimes take a really long time and it costs a lots more too, so I want to combine, having hand crafted fashion with modern elements, so I am working alongside the computer.
So technology for you is a good tool to bring back the old craft into the modern times
Yes, to combine modernity with traditional craft and make couture type pieces.
Alice Ruzavina
What do you like about fashion?
I like that it’s something that everybody wears everyday. It is a part of everybody’s life, I think it is a good messenger carrier and it’s not secluded for some classes, it can be for everybody.
I think we tend to identify people through fashion. In my opinion fashion is to promote opinions and values and to push for understanding of the world that I believe in. So that’s why I like fashion. It’s also a really cool communication between a 3D form and a print, it’s like a wearable piece of art or even a wearable letter.
Is there something about print that you like specifically?
I like how with screen printing it is very visual. Digital printing or technology has a lot of flatness to it and coldness, whereas screen printing is done with your hands and you make mistakes, which is all part of the process and it’s cool because that’s also part of life. Printing is great because it’s a traditional craft and it’s a skill that’s been developed for so many years and I feel like I need to sustain it and it’s something I want to carry on doing.
I’m a printer and it just makes everything so much more fun and colourful and it really turns into something that I’ve made rather than something I’ve bought and cut out, so yes print is like an extra layer.
You said you had a message in fashion, is there a particular message or messages you have?
Oh yes, in my collection, each dress is about a topic I care about. Each look has a slogan to it and an imagery surrounding it. One of them is “i’m vegan and I’m an animal rights activist” and “rights to all creatures", it has prints of endangered animals on it. The second look says "stay human” and it has a print of people hugging. It’s about how we should support each other, take care of each other, even if we are all so separated in our isolated troubles and stresses. The third look says, there is no “Planet B” and it has a huge flower crown, it’s about environmental issues.
So you are very political in your fashion?
I am very political. One of the other slogans in the fifth look is “refuse to be confused” which is the informational role out we’ve been dealing with, addressing Facebook and how confused we all are. The main message is with my last look which is “Revolution,” with the word “Love” highlighted into it. Because there is a reverse word of “Love" in revolution.
I was in America and there was a lot of anti-Trump movement there and what I realised is that if we want to do anything, to change things, then we have to come from a place of love and build with what we believe in. My collection though it is political, it is also positive, hopeful and optimistic, because only then can we survive in the world and more forward.
So it’s about bringing people together?
It’s about bringing people together and bringing all the issues together. My collection is fully sustainable too, my inks are eco-friendly, I’m printing on organic cotton and I’m using beats that are waste, everything like that because we can’t just address things separately it’s all part of the bigger picture and we just need to rebalance things. In my opinion, we are sinking but if we just keep on making better things, we’ll bring the scale back to the good side because we are always on a tipping point. There’s always going to be bad and good in the world, but if we are saying anti, then we are adding to the aggression in the world, we are fighting against something without offering solutions.
Fashion could be a good tool to offer solutions
Yes because everybody can be part of it and it makes people excited. It’s also wearable which means it’s readable, so you don’t have to carry a poster around with you to promote your messages, you can be the carrier of your messages in every single movement and every single piece of clothing you wear.
What do you like about fashion?
I like that it’s something that everybody wears everyday. It is a part of everybody’s life, I think it is a good messenger carrier and it’s not secluded for some classes, it can be for everybody.
I think we tend to identify people through fashion. In my opinion fashion is to promote opinions and values and to push for understanding of the world that I believe in. So that’s why I like fashion. It’s also a really cool communication between a 3D form and a print, it’s like a wearable piece of art or even a wearable letter.
Is there something about print that you like specifically?
I like how with screen printing it is very visual. Digital printing or technology has a lot of flatness to it and coldness, whereas screen printing is done with your hands and you make mistakes, which is all part of the process and it’s cool because that’s also part of life. Printing is great because it’s a traditional craft and it’s a skill that’s been developed for so many years and I feel like I need to sustain it and it’s something I want to carry on doing.
I’m a printer and it just makes everything so much more fun and colourful and it really turns into something that I’ve made rather than something I’ve bought and cut out, so yes print is like an extra layer.
You said you had a message in fashion, is there a particular message or messages you have?
Oh yes, in my collection, each dress is about a topic I care about. Each look has a slogan to it and an imagery surrounding it. One of them is “i’m vegan and I’m an animal rights activist” and “rights to all creatures", it has prints of endangered animals on it. The second look says "stay human” and it has a print of people hugging. It’s about how we should support each other, take care of each other, even if we are all so separated in our isolated troubles and stresses. The third look says, there is no “Planet B” and it has a huge flower crown, it’s about environmental issues.
So you are very political in your fashion?
I am very political. One of the other slogans in the fifth look is “refuse to be confused” which is the informational role out we’ve been dealing with, addressing Facebook and how confused we all are. The main message is with my last look which is “Revolution,” with the word “Love” highlighted into it. Because there is a reverse word of “Love" in revolution.
I was in America and there was a lot of anti-Trump movement there and what I realised is that if we want to do anything, to change things, then we have to come from a place of love and build with what we believe in. My collection though it is political, it is also positive, hopeful and optimistic, because only then can we survive in the world and more forward.
So it’s about bringing people together?
It’s about bringing people together and bringing all the issues together. My collection is fully sustainable too, my inks are eco-friendly, I’m printing on organic cotton and I’m using beats that are waste, everything like that because we can’t just address things separately it’s all part of the bigger picture and we just need to rebalance things. In my opinion, we are sinking but if we just keep on making better things, we’ll bring the scale back to the good side because we are always on a tipping point. There’s always going to be bad and good in the world, but if we are saying anti, then we are adding to the aggression in the world, we are fighting against something without offering solutions.
Fashion could be a good tool to offer solutions
Yes because everybody can be part of it and it makes people excited. It’s also wearable which means it’s readable, so you don’t have to carry a poster around with you to promote your messages, you can be the carrier of your messages in every single movement and every single piece of clothing you wear.
