Meet GFF Talent, Adel Molnar, a fashion graduate from Coventry University. Nostalgia and homesickness inspired her childrenswear collection, Euphoria. An oversized collection that taps into her childhood dream of being treated like an adult, she explores her own childhood relationship with clothing as a result. Read more below!
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
University has thought me many valuable lessons in 4 years, but the most important thing that I learnt is to have confidence in my skills and trust the process. Before university, I only studied sciences, so I didn’t have a background in arts. I used to draw and paint as a hobby, and I felt lost during the first year, I didn’t really know what a mood board is or how it should look like, what a design process is. I felt insecure and I used to heavily compare my work to others, but I realised that there is not a general requirement of how my work should look like and that everyone is unique. I learnt to embrace my own style and it made a huge difference in my attitude towards my final collection. It has been a challenge, but I enjoyed every part of my course.
What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
The inspiration came over the summer holiday when I found out that I couldn’t go home to visit my family due to the lockdown, so I asked my parents to find the family archives and send over some photos from my childhood because I missed them and my homeland. I got nostalgic and remembered that when I was little, I wanted to grow up very fast, I wanted to be treated like an adult, so I always tried on my mom’s clothes and liked to play dress-up and come up with role-plays. I wanted to capture this memory and had the idea to design a kidswear collection that’s made up of oversized pieces that look ridiculous on a child because they are meant to be worn by adults. I also wanted to do print design, which was inspired by my family keeping parrots as pets. I grew up with them always being around and being very friendly, and children love animals, so the parrot print was a perfect choice.
What form will your final major project take?
My collection consists of 6 outfits and it’s called Euphoria. The theme is 2000’s and nostalgic, but the colour scheme and some elements elevate the collection into the more contemporary and modern era. I wanted to create timeless pieces that can be just as relevant today as back when I grew up. I mixed in some knitwear as well, made from my cut-up fabric scraps. Sustainability was not a question when I decided to make a collection.
Sustainable practices were always part of my life, as I inherited most of my clothes from my cousins, handed them down to my brother and I had to be creative with how to use the oversized and not too girly pieces. Some of the pieces in the collection are customizable to give it a longer lifespan and make it more fun, like the reversible raincoat that reveals a print if it’s turned, the knitted vest that you can dismantle and build back up of different sized panels and colours. Throughout the year I learned a lot, and became very independent in designing, toiling and experimentation, as I had to do most of the things from home. I am happy with the outcome and whenever I look at my line-up, I see my childhood.
What materials have you used and how did you source them?
Sourcing textiles was the most difficult task during the whole project, but it turned out to be the most exciting. The lockdown made it impossible to go to fabric shops and have a feel of the different textures and materials and to match the colours to my colour board. Initially, I wanted fully sustainable, natural and organic fabrics with minimal carbon footprint, but this idea failed quickly as I had to order lots and lots of samples first to be able to choose the right ones. I had to source all my fabrics online from multiple sources.
I ended up with multiple types of fabrics, some of the sustainable ones are recycled polyester for the waterproof raincoat, wool for the asymmetrical coat, organic cotton and Tencel for some undergarments. I also got some synthetic fabrics that have my print design on them, but I made sure that the printing process and the dyes used are eco-friendly and there is no fabric waste after printing. I plan to cut up my leftover fabric and create knit pieces that add to the story of my collection. I included some more modern finishing touches to my garments like zips, geometrical recycled buttons and my own custom 3D printed zip pulls that are part of my branding.
How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
I started the project with a lot of determination that I want to make expandable clothes using lots of zips. It is known that the kidswear industry is one of the most polluting factors, as kids grow out of their clothes very fast, their clothes get worn out and stained, so they would mostly end up in a landfill. I wanted to make fun garments that expose a hidden print whenever you unzip some parts and make the clothes bigger, which would have given the garments an extra few years of use.
I experimented a lot with zip placements, but I realised after a few prototypes that having lots of zips added would make the clothes uncomfortable, and I remembered that I didn’t like zips when I was a child. It would also be expensive to manufacture if I will start my own brand, so I scrapped that idea. I still kept zips, but I used them as design elements instead. I made some of the clothes customizable, like the knit vest, you can unzip some parts of it, and attach a different length, colour or pattern to it. That way I made sure that children wouldn’t get bored of one piece of clothing, as it’s fun to attach different panels each time you want to wear it. I learnt that not every idea works out how I want, unfortunately, but there’s always a different side to explore and have fun doing it.
What are the messages and themes behind your project that you want people to take away? Do explore any topics like diversity, sustainability or politics in your work?
The most important message of my collection is not being afraid to embrace sustainability. A huge part of my childhood and storyline was that nobody should be ashamed to wear second hand, baggy, oversized clothes. I have been bullied a lot at school because I couldn’t always afford to buy clothes from known high street retailers, that I reused my clothes over and over until they got so worn out that they ripped apart. I wasn’t always the most fashionable person, but I learnt not to care about these opinions and just to embrace who I am.
I am very grateful that I got to experience sustainable practices from such a young age, and I would not change a bit. Through my collection I want to encourage parents and children to choose better textiles, more durable garments that they can hand down to further generations, giving life to the garments repeatedly. The theme of my prints and branding are parrots, pets that I grew up with, that radiate friendliness, sociability, joy and playfulness. I experimented with abstract digital drawings of the parrots, and then later I added more geometrical elements to mix my prints up. I took these elements from several photos from my childhood.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
As mentioned in my message within my collection, I want to have a positive impact on how people will want to choose textiles and clothes in the future. I want to create every piece carefully, with much thought going into it and each piece having a purpose. I want to be transparent throughout the whole process, from sourcing to manufacturing and delivery. I want to contribute with a sustainable alternative to the childrenswear industry and promote circularity. I find it important that we raise a generation who can think and choose differently, and it’s good to start it from a young age.
What is your plan once you finish your BA?
Once I finish university, I would love to work for a niche childrenswear brand, who has similar values and ethos that I stand for. I’d love to design clothes and bold prints and come up with solutions to problems around sustainability. I want to earn a few more years of experience so that I have enough knowledge to start my own childrenswear/family wear brand. I want to focus on sustainability, zero waste garment design, natural fabrics and prints. My long time dream is that if I get success with my own brand, I want to hold fun design and drawing workshops with children in poor countries, make the clothes and donate the earned money back to them so that I help with their education and improve their everyday lives.