Meet GFF Talent, Molly Nixon – a fashion design graduate from Northumbria University. Her collection, Siren Song, is an outerwear-focused collection inspired by 19th Century fishermen and folklore from North East fishing towns. Read more about her sea-inspired collection below.
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
There are a few values I have learnt whilst at University that I consider being equally important. For me, never studying fashion before, the greatest thing I learnt was the realisation of what is possible through 3D from 2D development. I love to work on a stand to moulage and find new ideas however, I work well with design development from historic and contemporary references in a 2D basis. Learning how to make a garment and develop these skills has been beneficial. Through my placement year I worked for two brands. A local knitwear brand, Always Wear Red, as a designer and as a studio intern at Markus Lupfer. Whilst working at Markus Lupfer, I found a love for the brand and it was the perfect place to gain experience.
I learn’t from both brands my interests and dislikes to what I would want to do. I have found I enjoy a more hands-on role than working at a desk for the entire day and like to be in lead or part of a group as well as working by myself. From not having as much experience this year due to covid-19, I have missed out on half of my third year and most of my fourth. I was chosen however, as one of six to make a look for the GFW showroom rail. This was a joy for me from working at home for the year and I have found it most valuable to see how 3D work alters and changed 2D designs.
I find by drawing a look that it is difficult to see how details may look, their size and placement without the 3D development. Making this look, therefore, has been beneficial for me. Other than working on the course, my degree has taught me to push myself to succeed. I am someone who sets a goal that is out of their comfort zone and capability and makes sure that within the time period I learn to meet what I want to do and who I want to become.
What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
SIREN SONG is an outerwear focused collection inspired by 19th Century fishermen and folklore from North East fishing towns. The inspiration for this project was initially sparked through a love for the sea. Not just the sea-creatures and beaches, but the history, folklore and tales it holds. The story behind a gansey was what developed this topic into a concept for me. Ganseys are a hand-knitted garments, that takes roughly six weeks to make. Each gansey has its own stitch design that represents the town or village that the wearer comes from. In folklore this is said that the gansey can be used to identify a drowned fisherman, washed up at shore, to be taken back home for burial. Even families would put purposeful mistakes into the ganseys to make them even more unique to the wearer.
Through the practicality of fishermen’s garments and the interesting details on peacoats and RNLI outerwear garments, the mix between historic and practical garments and the combination of their textures and fabrics started the concept. Tales such as the Sirens of Staithes have inspired a strong feminine aspect to the collection. Through this tale, two Sirens are captured in nets and mocked by the townsfolk. However, being cunning, they lure a fisherman to set them free. The multiple personalities of a person can be seen through a Siren. Inspired by Alexander McQueen, who would create an almost armour to protect the wearer, this will inspire strong impactful looks to keep the wearer feeling confident due to abuse in the fishing industry in the modern-day towards women, this feminist feel is core to the collection. The idea is to create this confidence and changing personality inspired further from the strong luring being of a Siren - reflecting this confident attitude back to the wearer.
What form does it take?
Through not being able to make a collection this year, the focus for my collection, SIREN SONG has been on creating a portfolio and samples from the collection which highlight further important issues. A boro-futon texture was created by stitching and darning second-hand jeans together to create a new fabric. This has been inspired due to the fact that roughly 70% of clothing in the waste disposal stream is only worn once and adds to the issue of global warming. This texture is highlighted with SIREN embroidery, inspired by a warning call that the fashion industry needs to become more sustainable. Through working on a 2D basis, a second collection has also created, W.A.R.B-A-B-I.E.S. -
The concept for this collection was inspired by Operation Dynamo and the events at Dunkirk. The dichotomy of the military and civilian aspects was paramount to the collection. Inspired by practical 1940s garments, a further layer to the concept was taken from needing sustainable and practical clothing for issues such as global warming and possible future pandemics. This has inspired sustainable fabrics and yarns, in low wash and biodegradable fabrics and temperature-dependent yarns, such as merino, to create face coverings. Beeswax was rubbed onto the yarn to make it more suitable for being hand-attached to woven fabrics for an outerwear piece.
Being chosen as one of six to make a look this year, W.A.R.B-A-B-I.E.S. was the place to start the choice of the look. By creating a military-inspired garment look, it was beneficial to learn from a mix of three garments. An oversized coat with straps to be worn as a backpack. A cropped Trench coat and a Siren suit. Practical features were also in place with an attachable hood and facemask. The fabric for these garments was chosen being sustainable and practical for under and outerwear pieces.
How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
SIREN SONG has evolved from the initial ideas from my concept many times. When I arrived at my Line-up at December, I was happy with my results. However, taking some time off I came back and realised I need to change my collection to reflect my concept in a stronger way. Through garment silhouette, colour and a more realised and professional way of detailing garments. I found that taking the garments back and not over-loading every idea is beneficial and took a more Max Mara approach to the collection with some more avant-garde features. Texture is a large factor in design and by using the right colours and fabrics, the collection can be felt very differently. I took time to develop hundreds of ideas and line-ups to get my outcome which stripped back some initial ideas and focused on the core issues of the collections: Confidence, sustainability, feminism and history.
With W.A.R.B-A-B-I.E.S. – the development process for this collection happened more organically from learning from SIREN SONG. Practical details on Avant-Garde silhouettes was the important for this collection and using more neutral colours contrasted with brighter yarns allowed the military and civilian mix in the 1940s to come through. I have learnt through these collections that sampling is a big factor to the development and taking the time to work out sizes and toiles is just as important as the finished garment. I have also learnt that taking time away to go for a run and clear your head helps so much to spark ideas and not to stare at a page or force ideas to happen and instead to allow a natural excitement to come back to a project. I aim to take everything I have learnt this year and develop my skills to benefit myself in the fashion industry.
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?
Along with sustainability which I have previously mentioned – Diversity and feminism are two large factors within my work. The Muse through my collections is an important part for me to highlight a greater issue. Feminism and the fight for all equal rights is an important aspect that should be present in everyone’s lives. I believe that to be confident within clothing, inner confidence needs to be present. It is true garments can make us feel and think in different ways but confidence within ourselves is a necessity.
In SIREN SONG, the collection highlights on North-East local fishing towns and the foke-lore of these areas. Due to abuse towards women within not only the fishing industry, but also in heavily masculine dominated areas of work - a Muse inspired by a Siren - being a strong and luring being- was important to this collection. Drawn from Fran Summers - local to the North East – the Muse highlights the strength of women in themselves without the need for styling and can show the multiple versions of one person. This is to highlight back the strength of women and to give them back a confidence to be themselves.
In W.A.R.B-A-B-I.E.S. – the concept started with looking at Operation Dynamo and the civilian support towards the soldiers at Dunkirk. Due to the 2017 Dunkirk film showing a whitewashed version of the events in 1940, the Visual highlights the representation for black soldiers during WW2 in this collection through Muse. Black Lives Matter is a significant movement that should not have to happen - equality should be present without anyone trying to fight for it - however, this fight is as necessary and prominent as ever. Adwoa Aboah is the Muse for this collection highlighting her strength and feminist values as well as her aesthetic and style.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
The change on the planet is visible and being passionate about animal welfare makes the need for sustainability greater to me. The idea behind fast fashion is an aspect to fashion that I want to change to better this. For me, fashion is in the high-end art style made garments. However, with such a high price point, it is natural that these garments will trickle down to be seen at a mass-produced lower price end. This needs to change. The mass production of clothing is leading to some of the world’s biggest problems. The mindset of buying a garment to wear once does not sit well with me as they should be something that is loved, cherished and even, mended.
With ever-constant changing trends, this does not help the situation. The problem is working out a solution in which cheaper garments and fabrics can be made more sustainably – not throwing out garments and re-using or mending them can also be a key idea to not have as much wastage poured back into the world. But slowing down and realising that we don’t really need an extra dress for one night and buying wardrobe staples or garments we love and can re-wear over and over needs to become more of a solid backing to every wardrobe. Using methods such as buying and selling clothes second-hand or donating to charity becomes a much more ethical way of dealing with clothing than throwing it away.
In the same aspect, high-end fashion needs to promote sustainability and ethical clothing to almost become a trend for high-street brands to follow. The use of un-ethical animal products in fashion is not right. Hunting wolves for a fur trim on a coat and causing more species to become extinct is not the right way to make clothing. It is possible to turn the ideas around and to care about our clothing more and to only buy garments we love and know we will wear from new to worn-out.
What is your plan once you finish your BA?
It has been a joy to work and learn on my degree at Northumbria University from never learning anything to do with fashion before and only teaching myself out of my school hours. Now finishing my degree, my aim is on finding a job within the fashion industry. I have always been interested in working for a high-end brand as a Designer. I love the mix of 2D to 3D work and want to develop my skills in each area. I want to teach myself and learn from in jobs what areas I want to specialise in and what brands I would like to work for.
I have always been interested in brands such as Burberry, Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs however my passion in a brand lies in Alexander McQueen. I aim to get into the high-end fashion industry and work my way up. I am not afraid to work and prefer to be busy, so I believe I am suitable to work in this area. Being a fast learner and worker helps to develop my skills however, I also put the hours in for my work and want to have a successful career instead of a 9-5 style job. I am always excited by the fashion week shows and would love to also be involved in these.
The idea of working for a brand designing through 2D and reflecting this onto a stand to see from initial to final outcomes excites me to get involved in the industry. I would really love to live in London – this is a city I feel very comfortable in, but it also fills me with excitement. I have future plans to live and work abroad and I would love to do this one day but for now, London feels like the next step.