Meet Elise Keeling, a graduate from UCA Rochester. Elise was inspired by her experience of the UK’s music festivals in her collection, which also has a message about sustainability — she used recycled materials including sleeping bags to explore the issue.
“My message is: to protect the beauty of nature and the natural world; and to create a constant discourse around the need for sustainability both in fashion – and in society,” says Elise. “We need to recognise the need for change when it comes to handling festival waste, and come up with more solutions to suggest on how to combat against it.” Read more about her work below!
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
I have learnt so much, I couldn’t just name one thing, UCA Rochester has encouraged me to be more creative and expressive with my work and change my outlook on the fashion print industry. In addition, they have supported me to be able to push my style of design to another level and not be afraid to do something different and unique; as that is the part that makes me who I am as a designer. University has given me the confidence and support to be exactly the designer I want to be e.g. very experimental with design techniques and expressive with my prints and my garments; and to create printed fashion that really inspires me and the world.
UCA Rochester has challenged me with a range of different projects e.g. textile futures, designs into industry, and the opportunity to work with Peter Westcott – Vooprint, and an internship with Amanda Kelly. These have all helped me to explore different ways to be creative and helped me creative my own style. These have challenged me to be creative in different ways that maybe I would never have thought of doing before. Working with these two amazing designers gave me the opportunity to learn about their individual creative styles, and how to work in collaboration with them to achieve their outcomes, whilst at the same time allowing me to include my own creative edge.
What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
My initial idea started from my summer experiences at music festivals, as me and my friend couldn’t believe the number of tents, sleeping bags and camping items that were left behind. We wanted to gather them all up and take them home, but there were thousands sprawled along the fields - it just wasn’t possible. So, I wanted to create a body of work that shows both the beauty of a festival: the getting ready, the make-up, the glittered outfits, music, joyfulness and fun; but also, that grungy chaos side that occurs slowly, where everything is left behind in a mess.
Rubbish is left, sleeping bags have been dragged through the mud, tents are sprawled across the fields and deserted with rubbish; dirty laundry left surrounding them. Also, what the chaos of lack of sleep, no washing, alcohol and drugs and loud music can do to change someone’s appearance. So, my primary focus was: the personal transformation from beauty; to chaos and mess.
The secondary one was: the ecological sustainability awareness of the world. Again, the theme of ‘mess and chaos’ are brought through here, with the amount of rubbish that is left behind after the festival. There is analogy here within my designs in that: they reflect the physical wrapping up of ourselves in rubbish - in terms of the festival theme. But also, metaphorically, in that the world is being bound up and chocked by rubbish, therefore it reflects the mess and amount of waste in life; not just at a festival.
What form will does your final project take?
I wanted to achieve a collection that consists of 4 outfits from my final line up that had a multitude of colour and freeness to it; like a festival, combined with the grunge and chaos that a music festival also brings. This was achieved by using photography and collage, layering up my designs, combining bright colours with black and white. Thereby, creating a women’s wear collection of four outfits that is very experimental with print. This was achieved by using digital and screen printing techniques at a large scale; so that my concept and message stood out. This meant that the message I was trying to portray was clearly understood and had a memorable impact.
What materials have you used and how did you source them?
I wanted my prints to be printed on a wide range on fabrics and materials. I used reconstructed sleeping bags to print onto and create my garments; to show I can be really experimental with print, and with my outfits. I wanted to have a large silhouette collection that was very expressive and ‘out there’, to make a statement. I sourced used sleeping bags and tents from either people I knew; from festivals; or from used selling websites.
Therefore, by using recycled and second-hand materials I was really exploring sustainability. I played with different ways I could print onto them, and experimented with reconstructing them, to make a collection that was both sustainable but also portrayed my concept as well. I wanted to explore sustainability and up cycling in my collection, as it reiterated the chaos and mess we leave behind at the music festivals, which has a large environmental impact.
How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
My initial idea started to develop from me going out into my garden and recreating an installation of festival camping. Setting up tents with dirty clothes, litter and alcoholic drink bottles, make up, and other essentials you would take to a festival or have left lying around. I photographed this chaotic and messy set up of what you would find after a day at being at a festival; and the mess of what we humans create.
I took apart old sleeping bags and screen printed onto the materials and then put them back together and constructed them into parts of my collection, using every detail from the zips of the sleeping bags to the wadding inside. What I learnt from doing this was: that fashion can be created using old and used materials, that print can really work on any type of material and have a bold effect. I draped with the old sleeping bags and tents and started to develop my silhouette ideas to create the look of being wrapped up in the mess and dirt and grunge. This was something I really got expressive with and I found really brought out the more creative way of getting ideas for silhouettes.
What are the messages and themes behind your project that you want people to take away? Do explore any topics like diversity, sustainability or politics in your work?
My themes for the collection was: beauty, attractiveness, fun and order. The joyful anticipation of going to a festival; dressing up and giggly with excitement. Then, ploughing your way through the mass of brightly coloured tents with the sound of music in the distance. Next day: the aftermath, the seething mass of waste, the chaos and the filth. Headaches and hangovers – the havoc of what occurs after. My concept addresses sustainability and ethical practice through encouraging young people to be more sustainably aware of their detritus, littering the once beautiful landscape.
Humans transform what is beautiful and orderly into something which is ugly and chaotic. My message is: to protect the beauty of nature and the natural world; and to create a constant discourse around the need for sustainability both in fashion – and in society. We need to recognise the need for change when it comes to handling festival waste, and come up with more solutions to suggest on how to combat against it.
This collection is still very fashion forward, a beautiful high fashion statement even, created using recycled sleeping bags and other sustainable materials that have been taken apart and reconstructed back together, the sustainably also comes through in my prints showing the trash and waste that has been left behind. I wanted my collection to encourage young people to be more sustainably aware.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
I am passionate about coming up with different ideas to recreate fashion from up cycled materials; as I believe you can truly turn anything into something creative and beautiful without them necessarily having to be brand new materials. I absolutely love the idea of printing onto used and recycled materials that you wouldn't think of using for textiles printed fashion before. Sustainability is something I am really interested in and have explored more throughout my final year project, which has inspired me to carry within my designs after university, as it is something I have really enjoyed learning about.
What is your plan once you finish your BA?
My plan once I finish my BA is to really ‘getting out there into the world’ now by undertaking a range of different internships for companies; and so, delaying further study for a year, alongside this I would love to continue with the work I have been doing and explore the idea of starting up my own brand. This time would give me the opportunity to really push myself, challenge me creatively; and explore and learn different things within the industry; and then go back and do my master’s degree the following year.