Meet Charlie Orr-Ewing, Manchester Metropolitan University Catwalk Show Winner at GFW22. Charlie studied Fashion Design and Technology at Manchester Metropolitan University.
How do you feel about winning a GFW22 award?
Being awarded Best in show gave me the confidence to continue the collection further and pushed me to start a brand.
What was the inspiration starting point for your award-winning FMP?
As a designer I aim to celebrate queerness and I wanted to create a fun and expressive collection that represents this. Treasures of Atlantis is inspired by the myth of Atlantis taken from Greek mythology. The story inspires the print of the collection, depicting the balance of prosperity/power with corruption/greed as well as the overarching collection story of the city being reclaimed and lost to the sea. The collection of structured tailoring takes silhouette and colour inspiration from Greek architecture and pottery combined with the more organic shapes of corals. In my interpretation of the myth Atlantis was a thriving queer and inclusive society which is represented in the print story.
What skills did you learn and develop during the production of your FMP?
Technology is at the forefront of my work and during this project I experimented and developed my skills with 3D printing and creating custom artworks, discovering that I enjoy graphic design. I also developed working on structural shape making and draping and continued to explore my interest in corsets.
What were some challenges that you faced in producing your FMP and how did you overcome these?
Experimenting with structural pleating was new to me and it took a while to figure out and because it was new there were a lot of problems that had to be resolved. The pink pleated jacket especially because of the weight of the pleats and keeping them upright and in the right positions.
The 3D printing also took a lot of problem solving, how to get the nicest finish and designing the artwork so that it would fit on the printers to then be pieced together in an aesthetic way.
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 with them?
Queer celebration and representation. I wanted to create more fun, exciting and expressive options for event wear, especially for queer people and expressing femininity.
What is an aspect of the fashion industry that you want to help improve or have a positive impact on?
I want to create a shift in how people view buying clothes, having pieces that you buy because you love them and feel they connect to you. Being more conscious of what we buy and therefore buying in quality not quantity.
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?
A collection.
What are your plans for the near future (further study/ internship/ work?) now that you've finished your BA?
I am launching a Manchester based Luxury queer fashion brand in partnership. The first collection will be a continuation of my final collection and we will continue to explore the possibilities of 3d printing in future collections.
