Meet GFF Talent, Michela Scotto di Clemente, a fashion design graduate from IUAD Accademia Della Moda. Michela’s final collection, CENSORSHIP KILL, came about after a family tragedy that lead her to the idea of giving voice to all the people who repress their emotions, their feelings and their weaknesses. Read on to discover more about Michela and her plans for the future.
Contact Michela Scotto di Clemente:
Email: michelascotto93@icloud.com
Tell us about you, where are you from, what lead you to fashion and choosing that course?
I am Michela and I come from a small village near Naples. As a child, I dreamed of becoming a famous person, so that I could fulfil all my mother’s and brother’s wishes. My passion for fashion started when I was a child, but it actually realised at the age of 23 driven by the need to escape from all that had meant my life until then "a model that I liked, yes, but that I had not chosen". So I finally decided to follow my instincts, by enrolling in IUAD Accademia Della Moda. I didn't know well the fantastic fashion world, which "I often hated and even more often I loved". But if I could turn back time I would make the same choice a thousand more times.
Describe the inspiration and concept behind your work. Talk us through your final project and your research process. How did that come about?
The inspiration for my final project comes from a very dark period for me, when 9 months ago my brother (my reference point) decides to leave this world ... Yes, it was very hard to accept, even to write it down, but my project exists because of this. CENSORSHIP KILL in fact arises from the idea of giving voice to all the people who repress their emotions, their feelings and their weaknesses. For those who always feel wrong but who actually have nothing wrong! Do you know why they do it?
To be accepted by the people around them and the society in which they live. In this regard, my project has a very important task, that of giving a voice to all the people who suffer from this discomfort! I decided to do it through fashion, as this sector is becoming increasingly important worldwide. Analyzing several articles that deal with delicate issues such as these, it emerges that unfortunately these problems are hidden behind TOO MANY people, and it is therefore right that these themes also be treated in fashion! Do not censure your emotions !!!
Tell us about your design process. How do you work? How do you take your research and develop your own designs?
At the base of the creation process of my collections, there is always a combination of 3 fundamental factors: Aesthetic, Functionality and above all Meanings. Once identified, I proceed with the research for fabrics and new materials. Fusion occurs in my mind, between the shapes and the materials that really struck me! This is how my first sketches come alive.
Tell us about your Collection Development. How do you toile, how do you like to pattern cut, do you like to drape?
In my final collection, for the creation of the patterns, I’ve used a method called Shingo Sato's TR Pattern Cutting, a 3D modeling technique to develop models, where construction, shapes and volumes are the protagonists. For the creation of the belts, on the other hand, I draped the fabric directly on the mannequin, until I got the shapes I liked the most.
Talk us through your final collection and each outfit. Why were these the final designs?
My final collection is represented by the contrast of two lines, the static ones of the duvets that represent the closure of man in himself and towards society, and the voluminous and architectural ones of the hand-painted belts with bright colours, which incite and represent the explosion of emotion. Every outfit is completely different from the others, just like human beings, each one has its own story!
What materials have you used within the collection and how did you source them? Why was this the right material for your collection?
The choice of materials to be used was quite critical. After several types of research and with the advice of my fantastic professors, I managed to find what I was looking for, a type of Nylon that reflected the colour of human skin, even if I made some changes to the textiles, doubling with different fabrics, to give them greater consistency and a more pronounced shine. I also used leather and vinyl, which would act as a canvas to paint on. I found what I needed only after careful research inside factories and partly on the web.
Tell us about your illustration technics. Explain your final line up and what art materials and technics you use to showcase it.
My line up is realised through the use of Adobe Photoshop programs with which I draw and blend my sketches and Adobe Illustrator with which I draw the technical plat and paginate the entire work.
What part of your final project have you enjoyed most and why? ie, the research and concept or maybe the manufacturing of the collection.
Difficult to say which part of the project I like most, the initial research and development phase is like a story, which I really feel MINE, I have a particular bond with it. But also follow the final realization of the garments excites me so much. This work gives meaning to a moment in my life where everything was dark. I hope it can be a source of inspiration for those who will see it
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
I would be happy to give my contribution to the fashion sector, to spread my style and my messages through clothes, I'd like to make a contribution researching new techniques and fabrics that may even be environmentally friendly, employing natural fibres suitable for clothing and finding out how to work them to obtain the maximum result in terms of style.
What is your plan once you finish your BA? Where do you wish to be in the future?
At the end of my studies, I would love to have a job experience from an important fashion brand. Learn everything about a production process, from A to Z, And in the future why not, after having had several experiences, I would like to realise my own.