I’ve always had little superstations throughout my life – things like getting bad luck if you step over three drains in the street, and being taught that magpie rhyme (“One for sorrow, two for joy...”) by my family when I was younger. So when I started thinking about a concept for my final year project, I immediately knew I wanted to focus on good- and bad-luck charms.
I also knew that I wanted to include a lot of denim in my designs – I wear it a lot and really like the look of it, but beyond that, denim is always going to be on-trend so it felt like that would make my designs more sustainable and long-lasting.
I started out by doing a lot of research into denim, especially around sustainability and ethics. I also created collages of lucky charm images to inspire me, and from there I played around with different shapes and silhouettes. My tutors encouraged me to really push my ideas, and I’m really happy with the designs I’ve come up with.
My collection includes 3 pieces. The first is called the Ladybug look: a leather top fitted in the shape of a magpie head, a denim skirt inspired by ladybug wings, and baggy jeans with ladybug embroidery and buttons.
The second is called the Shard look: the design of the top is inspired by a smashed mirror, and it’s got a cut-out in the shape of four-leaf clover on the back. That will be paired with a skirt made from denim and leather, again inspired by shards from a broken mirror.
The third piece is a full body suit that’s going to be made of lighter denim. It’ll have barrel trousers decorated with leather stars, and frayed denim strips on the sleeves of the top – the idea is that the strips flow out behind the model as they walk on the runway.
It’s been quite a long development process, and my designs have been constantly changing. At first I had this vision of a full denim collection, but now I’ve added things like leather and embroidery to the designs too.
The biggest challenge has definitely been pattern-cutting. For the skirt I’ve made for the Ladybug look, I needed to design it so it would hold its shape, which was difficult. In the original toile the boning folded into itself and the bodice didn’t fit right, so I spent hours changing the pattern so it would work perfectly.
The structure of the Fashion Design course has really helped me develop the skills I’ve needed for my project. From the start you learn core techniques like how to sew, how to pattern-cut, how to design and make tech packs, and it makes you feel ready to go into the industry and put those skills into practice.
I'm really excited for everyone to come and see my work at the Degree Show. We get to have our designs showcased on a runway in front of industry professionals as well as our friends and family, which is a great opportunity.
I really hope that when people see my designs, they look closely and see all the little details I’ve put into each outfit. My collection is very sleek and structured, but it’s also got fun points like the ladybug embroidery and the four-leaf clover cut-out that I want people to notice.
I've gained a lot of confidence throughout this year while working on my project. I’ve felt free to do whatever I want and I now understand how to make my work better and challenge myself. In the future I’d love to do a graduate placement – I've realised that there are so many different parts of fashion that I'd be happy to do, and I think my course has really helped me get to where I need to be to have a successful career.
