Meet GFF Talent, Elisabeth Rose, a fashion graduate from Northumbria University. Elisabeth’s final major project is inspired by youth culture and class, exploring the contradictions and manifestations of both throughout history. Read on to learn more!
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
The most valuable thing I have learnt at university is dedication. The design process can be long and exhausting, however, when you are dedicated to your craft, you put all this aside as you know it will all be worth it in the end. Seeing your concept slowly start to come together and your designs constantly improve after all the research and time you have put into it is the most rewarding feeling. It is the delight you feel when you transform those ideas into 3D wearable garments!
University has also taught me the dedication it takes to be at the level at which I one day see myself. University has taught me to direct my focus on what it is that I enjoy most and really practise those skills so I can accelerate my advancement. I want to specialise in womenswear pattern cutting and my skills have massively improved since I started University. I feel like it has equipped me with the valuable tools I need to strive to join the best practitioners in the fashion industry. It has also taught me to be patient and not to force ideas. I am now able to confidently collate my research and accurately take ideas from it which are relevant to my concept to create new and exciting fashions.
Since I thrive working in 3D, I really value the pattern cutting teaching at the university which has helped me enormously to develop my techniques and turn ideas into finished products. It has given me knowledge and confidence in choosing appropriate fabrics, trims and details relevant to the garment I am designing. My knowledge of design has profoundly improved and I am now much more aware of what is already out in the world; the new and upcoming designers; the important challenges the fashion industry faces and also the advances in new technologies that have already been created. All of this information I have gathered will help shape me as a designer who is looking forward to helping to positively contribute and advance the fashion industry.
What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
The starting point of my collection comes from the idea that a person’s clothing can act as a uniform of what they are about. In a sense, it is a representation of your personality and who you are. I am fascinated with youth cultures from different periods in a time that I feel truly represented themselves; the likes of skinheads, teddy boys and punks - you instantly knew what they were about just by looking at what they had on. It gave you an idea of their interests, behavior, music taste, beliefs and even vocabulary.
I like the idea that clothing can have far more meaning than just a garment that you wear. I used my fascination with clothing within youth cultures and put it into context of today’s society. I find it compelling how the meaning of clothing has changed from truly representing your individuality like we see in youth cultures of the past to the present which is all about representing your wealth and social status no matter what class you are from. People can now pose as though they are in a higher social class just by wearing modern day luxury brands. To represent this idea, I looked at a photographer- Terence Sambo. He photographs working class youths on their local estates who are drenched in designer clothing. The images leave me with this ironic feeling of how the people in the images are trying to show off a higher social status by wearing expensive branded clothing.
However, if the reality is that you have spent your whole month’s wage on an item of clothing, stolen it, bought a knock off and are still going back to your housing estate, does this truly represent wealth and a higher social standing or just self-delusion? I have juxtaposed this with a time in the UK where what people wore did reflect their wealth and social standing. I I wanted to show the difference in the standard/quality of the materials used then and now in order to demonstrate and highlight the difference in the craftsmanship of the garments worn by the aristocracy during the 1800’s.
Although labelled as vulgar to some, the time, dedication, fabrication and quality of the fabrics that went into each garment was outstanding and reflected true luxury and wealth. Nowadays, the most sought-after pieces are basic T-Shirts with a designer logo on the front. It’s interesting how logos have replaced the idea of craftsmanship and quality as something desirable. I wanted to turn that on its head in my collection- The Royal Runt.
What form does your final project take?
I have a 20-page portfolio that will take you through a journey ending with a collation of a six- look collection all of which will be illustrated in the portfolio. It will also contain two further collections merging Teddy girls with the 1960’s classic- Calamity Jane and a collection for Acne Studios looking at the band Slade of the 70’s and their new member Queen Sylvia of Sweden! These portfolios will appear both on my University’s website www.northumbriafashion.com and the Graduate Fashion Week website for three years from June 2021. To create this, I have combined all of my research, images and final made garments to demonstrate my skills.
My presentation will show the historical examination carried out to learn about past youth cultures way of dress and how they styled themselves which was so important to represent their attitude and personality. I will categorise the findings from this research along with what I learned from my study of the historical way of dress and demonstrate the interesting links between them which supported my original concept. It also shows design development through key silhouettes and details that helped to knit together the message behind my concept.
I used all this to create the six-looks all including, fabric, colour, texture and trims. In addition, I will also physically construct two looks from this collection that will be shown at Graduate Fashion Week and will be featured on the rail in the fashion week showroom. To complete this I had to combine old pattern cutting techniques to create the extreme silhouettes with modern sportswear fabrics and trims. I will also do a photoshoot with complete styling to promote my designs which I will also display on my social platforms: Instagram and Linked-In. Promoting my designs will be a great initial tool to show my creations to a wide audience. My portfolio will go alongside the garments I created to demonstrate the full process from start to finish to explain how I created my final lineup.
What materials have you used and how did you source them?
The main inspiration for silhouette and shape was from my historical research. For the most part, I kept the fabrics and trims from my styling research in Sportswear qualities. Modern-day sportswear fabrics are largely synthetic, as they’re highly functional for sport, movement and protection. Knowing this from the offset, I wanted to make sure that I was as responsible as possible with fabric sourcing and waste. The two key looks that I have created are made from ripstop, stretch lace, viscose and linen which I got from online retailers and fabrics which I had preserved from my own collection from previous years.
With the silhouettes being so extreme, I knew that each garment would need a lot of fabric to create the shape and have the impact that I wanted. Each garment involved either a pannier or a bustle (an undergarment which I discovered from my historical research help to create the extreme shapes). To completely reduce and almost avoid fabric waste, I created fabric inserts which I packed with the waste from my garments past and present so that the waste was now functional. I was conscious of discarding synthetic scraps of fabric that aren’t biodegradable.
Because of the short span of time, lack of studio space, equipment and access to materials due to Covid restrictions, if I was to do this again, I would have used more sustainable materials. I would have contacted sportswear companies like Nike, Adidas and Puma to see if I could use their deadstock or old season sample garments and completely create my collection out of patchworked old existing garments that I would deconstruct to then reconstruct into my designs.
I could have also used the trims that already exist in these garments and repurpose them. The idea behind the Royal Runt collection emphasises the overproduction of throw away, poorly made branded modern products that sell in mass and are largely made from non-recyclable materials. All this just promote a false illusion of wealth and social status.
How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
My concept has dramatically changed since my initial research, in my first sketchbook when I originally started to collate my research. As I was merging modern day sportswear with historical old formal wear, I found it extremely difficult to find the links between garments or fabrics, trims etc…. as both sides of my concepts are so different. However, through dedicated research and designing, I gradually found more and more links. I realised it was important to find out what are the most key/important aspects from each historical side of my concept and what they mean or tell the viewer.
Once I understood what these elements were, it allowed me to focus and develop those specific ideas further. As I am a 3D designer, it is really important for me to work on the stand and take an idea I have in my head and try to create it so I can understand the construction. Once I grasp this, it allows me to be able to manipulate a structured design which already exists and give it a whole new meaning/purpose through either the manipulation of the construction or fabrication/choice of fabrics. I discovered that sometimes it just takes one small twist or clever detail that you need in a look to perfectly collide both concepts together.
I have learnt along the way that patience is a key tool to have whilst you are gathering and consuming all this new knowledge. You need to mentally absorb everything, even the smallest details and have confidence in your creative intelligence if you want to use all of the gained knowledge to come up with new innovative ideas. I also learnt how nothing you do is a mistake. Any idea can later be used or even spark another idea. It is important to not be afraid or hold back due to being in fear of making mistakes as you never know where they can lead you to.
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 message in my collection- The Royal Runt has stemmed from the social hierarchy we have constructed in the past and present and how clothing has an enduring effect on this. The idea of how the craftsmanship of our modern-day clothing has been replaced by the “new luxury” of branding and how we use this to impose a higher sense of social standing and the feeling of inclusion- yet in reality, what you have spent 300 pounds on- is just a basic T-Shirt with a Logo on the front, often made in a similar quality of a standard one which you would pay 20 pounds for. Yet the value and pride it holds to the wearer of the cheaper alternative is almost nonexistent.
I juxtaposed this with the aristocracy of the 1800’s who wore very expensive clothes that truly reflected the wearer’s wealth. They are of the highest quality reflecting the social ranking of the wearer. The working class of the 1800s were looked down upon for wearing their rags, hand me downs, mended clothes so that now in modern times the working class and lower-middle class from all ethnic backgrounds can afford to buy the same name brands or knock-offs that the wealthier ruling classes also wear. This is a form of political and social rebellion, an attempt for the proletariat to send a message to the wealthier classes that “we can now afford what you can”. In reality, the cost of trying to compete like for like is much greater for the working classes and is a form of exploitation through brand recognition.
What was in last year is not in this year and as the trends change so does the social pressure on some fashion followers of the working class to compete to their continuing cost. Is this sustainable both in social and ecological terms? Although our modern-day working-class youths and the aristocracy of the 1800’s certainly do not wear the same thing. It is clear that there is a link. I’d like to think I’ve brought together the best of both worlds in my collection. I’ve taken modern sportswear fabrics inspired by the working-class youth and used old pattern making techniques to create the extreme silhouettes from the gowns worn by 1800's aristocracy. It’s interesting how branding has replaced the idea of craftsmanship as something desirable. I like exploring the teenagers of the world create for themselves and what is important to them. Maybe Marie Antoinette was the ultimate teenager?
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
I believe strongly in the fashion industry’s need to incorporate more time and effort into ensuring that finished products are made from materials that can be recycled, obtained from sustainable sources and made by workers on living wages. I also believe it is really important for the fashion industry to slow down. There are too many more clothes in the world than people and it is completely unnecessary. Although creativity and innovation are needed to progress and revolutionize, there needs to be more of a balance between sustainability and creativity. I believe that spending more time on a collection where you have the time and opportunity to not only create something outstanding- but also in the most sustainable way, is so much more rewarding than constantly creating collections purely promoting consumption by people who cannot always afford it. There should be more emphasis on craftsmanship and necessity rather than bulk and throw away products.
The future of young people depend upon a healthy planet and the fashion industry can contribute to that. I have used irony in my collection juxtaposing 1870’s fashion with 21st century branding. Both were and are worn to reflect the wearer’s social standing and feeling of inclusion often with little thought into how or who made these clothes. Currently, the fashion industry is driven by fast-paced lifestyles, money and quantity not quality. I would like to have a positive impact on highlighting forgotten youth cultures of the present and past through fashion. I want to give these cultures a new voice and celebrate them for their individuality, social & political stance and the impact they previously had on society. At the same time, I want to influence them to celebrate craftsmanship, sustainability, recycling, repurposing and fashion as art, not just branding.
What is your plan once you finish your BA?
Once I graduate, as we are just about to exit what seems to be the final lockdown, I will move back home and start to search and apply for work in the fashion industry. I already have an industrial experience that I gathered from a number of internships including H&M as a designer (and my creations were on the shop floor) and two couture fashion houses in London pattern cutting and making garments (even for Madonna). These internships have helped to shape my future aspirations to find work in womenswear specialising in high-end experimental pattern cutting.
Whilst I am searching for work placements, I will continue to practise my skills by teaching myself further pattern cutting techniques and gain experience by creating and making my own designs as ultimately I want my own unique brand. I feel it is important to constantly add to my forever growing knowledge and experience as this will all benefit me in the future. In this regard, I might go on to try for a Master’s degree in the future when I can afford it, but in the meantime, I will keep working and promoting myself online and off, keep an open mind and make sure I take advantage of all opportunities as they arise.