FASHION DESIGNER

I am a fashion designer who specifically creates avant garde clothing for the female form, with an aesthetic that is edgy and underground. Each of my pieces has endured an intense design developmental process; extensive research into an idea to form a concept, intricately detailed pattern making, mostly hand constructed with the use of sculpture, hand stitching and moulding techniques which are all finished with precision.

Designing and constructing clothing is my creative and emotional release, as I am not only a tactile person, but I also like rapid change and the challenge of intellectual problem solving. I love to create what I imagine and feel at a particular moment and I am inspired and influenced by everything around me visually and symbolically, from music, movies, dreams I have, to nature and freedom.

When people experience my work I would like them to be speechless from marvel, and this desire is what drives me to succeed. I am filled with a sense of energy and motivation to keep making when my work is on target, specifically when the silhouette is flattering to the female form, the garment fits right, it is functional, it flows around the body harmoniously, it reflects my design signature, and the concept is executed clearly.

My favourite creation tools are my hands because they are an extension of my soul, allowing me to be raw and tactile, and when I work with them I am reminded that I can sculpt what I sense is proportionate.

I do not use a specific design process, like the way I was taught to plan and pattern make. I am more inclined to intensely explore many ideas before I can isolate one concept, and therefore the process I take is long and very challenging. I am extremely experimental, free and intuitive in the way I work, thus rarely use static templates like pattern blocks or a classic construction method to create as I feel these elements can be limiting.

When I begin a piece I am firstly stimulated by the way a fabric feels, and secondly by the way it moves. I usually drape the chosen fabric over a female form and allow the fabric to move organically, and here is where I begin to anchor points on the body and create a silhouette.

The preferred materials I use are often natural yarns, such as soft silk type fabrics, like silk satin, silk chiffon and silk jersey, because not only does silk have a luxurious quality, but it also depicts life through its warm ‘hand’ and organic movement that seemingly takes on its own design journey through the life of the garment. I also enjoy using hard-wear materials such as a variety of metals and protein fabrics like leather, as well as difficult techniques from other creative fields like shoe making, floristry and building. My specialty is combining hard and soft materials as it reflects my personality and offers the garment a striking difference.

Blue is the colour I am most drawn to. However I also design with colours that expresses the way I feel at the time I am creating which makes my work very personal and authentic. Black has predominated in my designs over the past year, with a contrasting tone, such as blue, white or grey. I like to be innovative in the way I use colour, therefore I may use all black, but layer and design using different textures to create dimension.

The most common elements that appear in my work are the use of circular pattern cutting and soft fabrics due to my love of drape and somewhat obsession with continuous lines. Aesthetically intimidating clothing that makes the woman look androgynous, confident and fierce is also an integral approach to my designs. There are repetitive style references to underground sci-fi films with a dark and edgy mood that are thought provoking and seemingly derive from personal and significant life experiences.

EXHIBITIONS, AWARDS

L'oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival
Cultural Program 2012, Ex[ie]perimental Collective

Faint Magazine | Distilled | 2011
Featured in November issue

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week 2011
Spotlight Emerging Designer Showcase

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week 2011
Finalist in Emerging Designer Series Student Prize

Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City 2010
Awarded placement on Deans List [GPA 3.69]

Culture Magazine 2011
Vol 13 No. 4

Design Federation 2010
Annual First Issue

State of Design 2010
Swensk window display

L'oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival
Cultural Program 2010, Mapping the Tailor

EDUCATION

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, 2008-2011
Bechelor of Design [Fashion] First Class Honours

Fashion Institute of Technology, New York City, 2010
Drape Soft Silhuettes III, Knitwear Pattern Design, Manual Machine Knitting, Business Management, Thesis Writing, Styling for Visual Presentation.

Kangan Batman Tafe
Certificate III Multimedia

CAE
Short Course Pattern Design

Melbourne School of Fashion 2006
Short Course Fashion Design