Meet Bethan Jones, The Fashion Portfolio Award Winner at GFW22. She studied Fashion Design at the University of South Wales.
How do you feel about winning a GFW22 award?
I feel over the moon to have won a GFW award. After so much hard work over the past four years, this has really been the best way to finish off my time at University. I am so grateful for all my amazing friends and tutors who helped me achieve the portfolio award and helped make it possible. Ultimately, this experience has inspired me to keep reaching higher and to believe in myself.
In such a competitive industry full of incredibly talented creatives, it is hard to think that your work will be noticed and appreciated, so winning a GFW award really does give me that motivation and inspiration to never give up.
What was the inspiration starting point for your award-winning FMP?
My initial inspiration came from my dissertation research, focussing on the sports bra. I found this topic extremely captivating, I was able to really dig deep and gain an in-depth understanding of not only the function of the sports bra, but the importance of understanding the need of breast support. During an interview with Lisa Lindahl, who invented the first sports bra, I was shocked at not only how little the sports bra has been developed since 1977, but also the lack of education in breast health and support available to women. I realised there is a lack of sports bras available to women which provide both comfort, support and aesthetic.
I questioned why women should have to sacrifice feeling good, to be able to perform optimally. I related this to trend research surrounding all day active concepts and maximalist fusion aesthetics. From here my final collection concept was formed, a space to create aesthetic sportswear that make women feel good whilst performing well, enhancing the impact through contemporary sportswear.
MotionSense is a collection about making your own movement. A space where we enhance the impact through maximalist sportswear. With a mission to get the world moving, the collection is inspired by the female form, combining form with functionality, and comfort with aesthetics. Our vision is to create thoughtful, innovative and fresh outcomes, to promote movement in every way , taking the pressure away. Allowing you to, make your movement.
What skills did you learn and develop during the production of your FMP?
The range of skills I was able to learn, push and develop during the process of my FMP was huge. By mixing a very science based topic with maximalist creativity I found I was really able to push not only my research skills, but my ability to create my own trend forecasts and push my pattern cutting and construction skills to a higher level, the list is endless. As part of my research, I created my own motion capture experiment which gathered a rigorous analysis of the performance of traditional sports bras on different breast shapes and sizes. This process really allowed me to enhance my analytical and technical skills, from learning how to learn a complete new software, to then being able to take the findings and gather a valid conclusion. Completing my FMP allowed me to become a fully rounded designer with skills in multiple areas.
What were some challenges that you faced in producing your FMP and how did you overcome these?
During the course of my degree I came to realise being a designer is all about problem solving. Challenges are a part of the creative process, and I guess by my final year I came to accept that there would be challenges and problems to solve along the way. One of the biggest challenges I faced was probably trying to keep up with my own expectations, and not comparing myself to everyone around me. The way I was able to overcome this was by looking back at each little achievement I have made it to so far, whether that be meeting a tight deadline or being noticed by GFW on instagram. Building up all the small wins really is the best way to keep going in such a full on and challenging year.
Are there any messages or major themes in your FMP that you want people to take away? If so, how did you choose to communicate them?
My final collection 'MotionSense' is all about making your own movement. A space where we are able to enhance the impact through maximalist sportswear. The mission is to get people moving, and to make that movement as easy and enjoyable as possible. The collection is inspired by the female form, combining form with functionality, and comfort with aesthetics. The vision is to create thoughtful, innovative and fresh outcomes, to promote movement in every way , taking the pressure away.
Allowing you to make your movement.
I chose to communicate this message through creating a contrast of maximalist outerwear with functional base layers, giving the consumer the freedom to express their true self through innovation, expressive colours and silhouettes. I was able to bring this message to live through my fashion film which enhances the vision to allow you to make your own movement.
What is an aspect of the fashion industry that you want to help improve or have a positive impact on?
An aspect of the fashion industry I would like to have a positive impact on is sustainability. With sustainability being such an important topic at my university, it became something every student automatically thought about in each step of the process. Even if we were not able to take it through, it is always thought about. Which I think is a good start. I would also love to one day make a positive impact on women in sport. Whether that be by creating a better sports bra or by really listening to what women want.
What form does your FMP take? Is it a collection of clothing, book, presentation, etc? If relevant, how did you source the materials for the project?
My FMP was made up of a full line up of six looks, with 3 realised looks. The first realised look includes; a sports bra, printed puffer skirt, cropped puffer hood and a detachable water resistant trench that can be worn as a separate cropped jacket and skirt with a printed belt. The idea was that the collection made day to day activities easy by reacting to the trend of 'all day active'. The second realised look consisted of a cycling short, medium support sports bra, fitted tank top and an oversized puffer coat with a detachable hood and in-sleeve pockets. The collection also featured base layers such as leggings and a unitard, paired with a lightweight running jacket with a carry bag feature in the pockets.
My FMP is also supported by a portfolio showcasing the research, design and development process, a supporting mini portfolio providing a deeper look into sports bra research, a dissertation and a full trend book showcasing supporting research to each trend looked at for my final collection.
What are your plans for the near future (further study/ internship/ work?) now that you've finished your BA?
Now that a I have finished my degree in Fashion Design, I plan to gain further experience in the sportswear industry, and continue to research further into the sports bra. One of my long term goals being to be able to improve the way women are able to move and perform, by removing this particular barrier.
Check out Bethan’s website here: www.makeyourmovement.org