Image features work by Gudrun Kloespch
Yesterday I decided to beat the Monday-morning-blues by heading down to leafy SW7 to view the Future Fashion Now exhibition currently showing in fashion room 40 at the V&A museum. This annual exhibition features highlights from the Royal College of Art fashion graduate’s final collections which this year includes everything from military-esque furs to leather and crystal ensembles.
With 55 unique outfits and accessories on display from 27 designers, page cialis 40mg the Fashion Future Now exhibition is divided into four main sections (Concept, rx Form, Technique and Detail) with each exploring the design stages the students go through to create their final collections looking back from their initial ideas and inspiration to the finished garments and products.
Concept looks at the central ideas and inspiration behind the graduates’ work. A favourite among this category was the work of Katie Eary who based her final menswear collection on both military uniform and Russian literature. Katie’s flamboyant designs reference the decorative headwear commonly associated with the British army’s Grenadier Guard’s uniform, juxtaposed with dazzling Swarovski crystals in orange and brown arranged to resemble leopard print with glittering effect. What worked really well with Katie’s display was the use of her research photographs, mood boards and sketchbooks in the background which both add to the impact of her designs and make it very easy for visitors to see how well she executed her clear direction.
Form explores how designers transform their ideas into 3-D garments by experimenting with materials and the way in which they cut them. A stand out favourite in this field was Pamela Leung who created a beautiful roll neck cable-knit jumper using Rowan Big Wool. If the knitting needles in the background weren’t enough of a clue, Pamela uniquely constructs her garments by twisting four strands of wool together, building texture and volume as she knits with her custom-made metre-long knitting needles. For extra oomph Pamela has also experimented with silver foil incorporating this into her dynamic collection of chunky knits.
Technique reveals the ways in which the graduates create their work using both traditional and the most modern methods such as laser cutting, bonding, digital printing and sophisticated rapid prototyping. A stand out designer from this section was Iacopo Calamandrei who digitally manipulated his images of astrological charts, and then applied his resulting repeat pattern onto silk using a digital printer. Iacopo’s highly innovative cocoon-like silhouette featured heavily through his display with his technique being created using a simple dressmaker’s stand and numerous pleating and draping techniques.
Detail illustrates how customised fastenings, decorative stitching, jeweled embellishment or a delicate print can make a piece unique. The bold graphics and unusual colour combinations used by Léa Carre?o really make her stand out from her classmates in this field. Inspired by the avant-garde design of houses such as Bauhaus in the 1920s and 30s Léa’s designs are created from organic wool and viscose.
In sum a great exhibition showcasing the work of the newest crop of British designers on the block. Future Fashion Now is 100% free and is showing until 31 January 2010.
Categories ,bauhaus, ,Future Fashion Now, ,Grenadier Guard’s, ,Iacopo Calamandrei, ,Katie Eary, ,Léa Carreňo, ,Pamela Leung, ,Rowan Big Wool, ,Royal College of Art, ,Swarovski, ,va
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