The New Fashpack
This day last week i took the long and somewhat tiresome but no longer brain frying trip from one end of our wee country to the other, to the lovely Limerick. I returned to my old stomping ground, sewing ground would be a far more accurate description in this context, to check out the Limerick School of Art and Design Graduate Show Odyssey. Its been four years since i graduated and its the first time i’ve went back and I don’t know why i haven’t done this every year, its almost like a homecoming, nothings changed too much except like everywhere else theres a few more layers of white paint, the staff are as welcoming and friendly as always and its great to see what the fashion departments been up to and what creations the new graduates are churning out.
This year there were only nineteen graduates and the fashion show aptly titled Nineteen took place on the 16th of May, unfortunately i couldn’t attend but seeing the clothes up close at the graduate show is just as enlightening if not more so.
The nineteen graduates turned out exceptional work, and i would expect nothing else. This year across all the collections there was a huge craft influence through fabric manipulation, intricate embroidery and beading, applique, macrame and weaving and hand crafted accessories. There was also some beautiful knitwear from the intricate fine and elegant to bold statement chunkier knits and some elegant statement prints.
The overall prize The Bord Gáis Networks Award for the Best Overall Collection Based on use of Fabric and Concept Development was awarded to Michael Stewart for his collection ‘Totem’. It was a striking and mature collection, eloquently executed. Simplistic lines and fluidity echoed throughout creating a unique feminine silhouette. The pieces whispered a tale of elegant simplicity and motion, an illusion of simplicity that can only come from careful thought and an understanding of the technicalities needed to construct a harmony between the body and fabric using handcrafted artefacts as an under lying architecture. For such a bold statement the whole collection portrayed an understated elegance and style which was accentuated with carefully placed prints.
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Another winner on the night was Svitlana Andryiets who won the AIB Business Development Award for The Collection Showing The Most Commercial Potential. It is a dynamic and intriguing collection. Directly influenced by the book ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ and entitled ‘Inner Fire’ it explores the juxtaposition of femininity and strength through fabric and silhouette. A totally black collection it is both frivolous and tough combining elements of female sexuality and armour and fabrics such as chiffon and neoprene cord. It is both wearable and sculptural and exudes a sense of unique style with just a hint of androgyny.
Another collection doused in childlike fun and more than just a dusting of nostalgia is Hazel Mallon’s collection ‘Did-Y-Mous’. Its the details that really drew me to this collection, the overall feel is almost like that of a child’s playroom with definite influences of Irish rural life. The embroidery, applique and prints re really what help to blur the lines between bright playful knits and grandfather fabrics to create a quirky collection.
Sarah Ryan’s ‘Corpus Fraterna’ is a very engaging collection. In her words she uses “... adverse textiles to create a new and informed silhouette in achromatic black”. This is another entirely black collection and the aesthetic is that of modern day armour. Using beautiful weaving techniques she has created flexible moveable sculptural pieces that combine for a quite dramatic collection.
Aisling O’Riordan creates beautiful lines in her collection ‘The Workshop’ by using structure and drape along with handcrafted wooden pieces to turn details used in furnishings into subtle eye-catching pieces fit for any occasion.
‘Fight or Flight’ is Catherine Kelly’s down to earth yet futuristic collection inspired by WW2 era aviation suits. The colour palette is girlie with pinks, blues and greys but it has a great utilitarian and space odyssey spin with metallics and textured fabrics, the jackets are to die for!
Last but by no means least Alison Mc Evoy’s ‘The Krays Brothers’ is a very clean sophisticated collection with great tailoring influence both in silhouette and fabric. It has a touch of frumpy but in the most stylish sense teamed with subtle well placed details which make some of the pieces like this dress very covetable.
Each and everyone of the Nineteen collections is executed with great care and attention. The creativity and vision oozed from each and every stand. I know first hand how much tears, sweat and sleepless nights it takes to produce a degree collection, and its not just the clothes at the end of the day it is much, much more its a representation of yourself. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all of this years graduates and wish them the best in the future, if you made it through that you can make it through anything!!
Each and everyone of the Nineteen collections is executed with great care and attention. The creativity and vision oozed from each and every stand. I know first hand how much tears, sweat and sleepless nights it takes to produce a degree collection, and its not just the clothes at the end of the day it is much, much more its a representation of yourself. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate all of this years graduates and wish them the best in the future, if you made it through that you can make it through anything!!
