Second year NTU Fashion Design x FMB
The collaboration between the two courses was effortless, so much so that I did not realise that the exhibition was not completed by the fashion students themselves. FMB did an amazing job of marketing the brands with their boards mirroring the style of the garments and inspiration behind them. I thought the illustrations on the boards to display the garments worked well; I feel that this gave a more personal approach, rather than just photographing the pieces. The illustrations emphasised the textures which I don’t think would have been fully showcased in a static photograph.
Watching the fashion show, we obviously only got to see the finished products which were stunning and so well executed. It was clear how much time had gone into the creation of the garments. I would not even know where to start if I was asked to make an item of clothing! The aim was to shed light on societal issues and therefore a recurring theme was around sustainability. A checked trouser suit and oversized puffer jacket stood out to me – I saw them as acting as reassurance, structure and protection from the uncertainty we are currently facing.
The garments displayed their designer’s creativity and self-expression as well as their talent at pattern cutting. However, in my opinion, the only downside to the entire thing was the lack of diversity in terms of model sizing. It was great to see inclusivity in terms of race and ethnicity; however this didn’t extend to body shape. Seeing that this year’s Mental Health Awareness month theme is body image, I hoped that a proportion of the garments would be designed for someone greater than a size 8 body or under the height of 5 foot 7. This just shows that there is still an expectation in the fashion design world to create prototypes to suit the typical model aesthetic – tall and thin.
There was such a great turnout to watch the show and I was pleased to attend, not only to appreciate the talent within the school and gain inspiration, but to support a valuable cause – Supporting Opportunity in memory of Becky and Philippa.
Rachel
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