Meet GFF Talent, Heena Gulabchande, fashion design graduate from University for the Creative Arts. Heena’s final project in inspired by Roman Gods, as well as iconic creatives like Salvador Dalí and Elsa Schiaparelli. Pleating, crustaceans and vintage clocks have all been referenced through Heena’s silhouettes. “The result is an ageless take on surrealism, highlighted with tailoring and organic shapes,” she says. Read on below to learn more!
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
The most valuable aspect in every creative work is research. I always start with something very simple and expand on it as much as possible, I will end up finding the most interesting and random topic that catches my attention. I then edit everything down. What this process does is allow me to have a well grounded inspiration which I can always trace back to. Another important notion we should be aware of is that creative integrity comes from within.
For my graduate collection I am working with surrealism, which explores the subconscious and its manifestations. As creative individuals we have to be very careful in identifying our core inspirations and our visual references, in this age and time we are bombarded with stimulus and our subconscious processes all the information. As spontaneous as my ideas seem to be I have to be aware that deep within there is a source to them.
What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
My graduate project takes inspiration from, perhaps the most important of the roman gods, Janus, of time, transitions, and passages, as well as Trajan’s column. Another big influence is Salvador Dalí, embodied in the collection itself, his surreal approach in all forms of art, as well as Schiaparelli’s archives. The pastel colour palette and is a timeless and seasonless aspect developed by the nature of the old photographs, scrips and ancient statues. The result is an ageless take on surrealism, highlighted with tailoring and organic shapes. The project expands from a vintage pocket watch at the flea market. Could it be a family heirloom, a treasured memento? The roman numerals on the dial are embodied by Janus, who presided over the creation of life and gods.
In my view Janus also represents the universe, in which time and space birthed creation. The topic was expanded to roman architecture, with focus on Trajan’s column, in which an entire storyline is depicted in a single slide wrapping around the column, in comparison to most other columns carved in sections. The collection takes a surreal approach inspired by Salvador Dalí and his painting ‘The Persistence of Memory’ in which the melting clocks allude to Einstein’s theory of relativity. IANVS explores the sense of time and timelessness through space-time distortion as well as entropy, the universe’s tendency towards disorder.
Making use of Dalí’s good friend Schiaparelli, who inspired the pleated work in the project, the collection culminates in exquisite silhouettes, inspired by Dalí’s personal tailoring style and his fascination for the lobster, there are elements transcending out of the body and interacting with the surroundings. It is an amalgamation of fashion and wearable art, an ageless take on surrealism highlighted with tailoring and organic shapes, blending playfulness with elegance to cater for the truly timeless woman.
What form does your work take?
The collection takes the form of a six outfit range plan, with four of those designs being materialised. My aim is to produce exquisite collections which blur the line between fashion and wearable art, elegance and playfulness, exploring timeless tailoring with sculptural pieces. I design each look with a fresh approach, as if each garment requires a technique of its own. The fresh take on the iconic lobster resulted from letting her subconscious take over some aspects of the project. The cork reveals to be the perfect vessel for the sculpture and the textural aspect elevates it to a stone-like statue. The lobster pattern is reinterpreted for the dress, keeping a minimal look to support the chevron pleats. The final look is almost too playful, mindless but not negligent.
I reveal versatility in creating silhouettes fully informed by the fabric and its properties. She adds charisma to the collection by repurposing vintage keys, featuring spiral sleeves, and showcasing a clock on the back of the coat as reference to the idea of time distortion. My work is not about a one time look, but about pieces that withstand time and wear: the coat lining features a concealed zip at centre back to access the clock mechanism; the blazer jacket includes strategically placed magnets to help maintain the pleated structure’s integrity.
The attention to detail, the hand binding and repurposing of vintage keys, fits well in the luxury market. Her adaptability when working on the stand allows her to pursue her vision to the fullest by being unfazed of unusual methods and materials. Her experimentalism and surreal approach strengthens a true sense of gracefulness and timelessness. The project is documented in a digital portfolio where some of the Gerber work, design development, thought process, illustrations, CAD and technical aspects of design and production are highlighted.
What materials have you used and how did you source them?
She seeks better fashion practices by using cork as one of the highlights of the project and sourcing dead stock fabrics. The collection repurposes vintage keys in place of the traditional button as a surreal reference to the Roman god of time Janus who was known for carrying a master key for the gates of heaven. The development the collection highlights innovative fabrics, cork is a completely sustainable material produced by grinding tree bark. My inspiration to use cork came from often visiting Portugal, where cork accessories are sold everywhere. She does not use cork as a leather substitute because the properties and uses are unique and very characteristic.
Every time the cork bark is shaven off, the tree absorbs more co2. Making cork requires no chemicals and wastes no water. The dying process is equally vegan. The cork is sourced from a small business in Portugal. Unfortunately I was only able to produce the sample garment using cork with cotton backing, however she is very excited to find a completely sustainable cork with Tencel backing for mass production. This is very exciting because a big problem with sustainability is its difficulty for mass production and this cork fabric is very easy to work with, its heat, liquid and stain resistant, insulating, antibacterial and biodegradable. The collection is supported by high quality dead stock fabrics such as designer wool and cotton sourced from warehouses, as well as Italian silk from a European supplier, and lining from a small business nearby. For the pleated pieces polyester is still the best option for retaining shape.
How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
I think a lot of other students start the year with a mindset of what they want their final collection to look like and they just want to focus on the steps they take on how to make what they envision. Their collection is about the final product. I felt very discouraged because I didn’t have any idea of what I wanted my collection to look like. I had an incredible body of research to support whatever it is that I am about to do. My process in not linear, there are a lot of dead ends in the beginning, there is a lot of experimentation and wrongs before I put together what works well.
In the beginning I wanted to make my work about the series of experimental surreal photographs ‘Dalí Atomicus’ by Halsman, to explore the preparation and precision behind something that is meant to appear spontaneous. I did some photography of my own to experiment with. My attention then shifted to Janus, I played with draping and developed print. My final concept came to be as I heavily edited out my research and sketchbook to help me focus on what was relevant to me.
The first real push came in the form of a lobster, which coincidentally has nothing to do with the iconic lobster telephone or lobster dress, I had been keeping lobster and crab carcasses with me from my favourite restaurant simply because I love seafood and could end up doing a sea themed collection. It was a very surreal approach where things progressed very naturally, it really helped me highlight my core interests: tailoring, sculpture, refined taste, sophistication and playfulness.
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?
I felt pressured to have a deep concept, to explore politics and social themes. At the moment I do not feel like I am that sort of designer and I also do not want to pretend to be. I believe as an individual I will never know enough, the more I am informed the more I know that tomorrow I may learn something that either reinforces or changes my belief. One exception is sustainability, we can all agree that it should be industry standard and it’s amazing how we are actively bettering our practices, however sustainability to me is a black and white matter, it either is or is not sustainable.
This is why, even though cork is a big aspect of my collection, I do not consider myself to be a sustainable designer. I will always aim to have more awareness and better practices than yesterday, but there is a lot of grey area on this matter. I want people to see cork’s potential, not as a leather substitute, but as a material that deserves its own respect. My use of cork is not a leather alternative, it is the reason why I have a coat in my collection, not the other way around.
Cork comes from the cork oak tree, by collecting its bark the tree will breathe better and absorb more CO2, the bark will regrown and be ready to collect in a 9 year cycle. Making cork requires no chemicals therefore the water is reusable. The material has many qualities and has a very characteristic look which should be taken advantage of. Cork is heat, liquid and stain resistant, insulating, antibacterial and biodegradable, most importantly it is a viable product for larger productions because these trees support a wide range of wild life and small businesses.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
I am a big advocate for quality. I believe in the quality of materials and manufacturing. As an average buyer I cannot afford high end clothes, but I would still like my clothes to last a good few years and would prefer to stop using a garment because it is out of style rather than being ruined too soon. As a high end designer my customer can afford better practices and materials so it is something that is very important to uphold. The price point should reflect more than superior design, it should reflect sustainable and ethical values. The average customer may place importance on sustainability and ethics, they would have to research which affordable brands share these values.
As a high end brand or designer it is our duty uphold good values, otherwise what exactly is justifying our price point? Another important aspect of my work is manufacture, I would like to bring value back to clothes. I aim to develop innovative collections, produced to high standards by the same person from start to finish, ethically and sustainably made and create a more personal relationship with the customer, to help them appreciate the love and care that goes into making the clothes. Making our business model clear and even showing the customer how much care goes into their clothes will help them cherish them.
What is your plan once you finish your BA?
My current plan is to get a job as a designer or creative pattern cutter and keep working independently for more personal projects. I would like to have some more experience before starting my own brand or bespoke service. I used to have a very fixed plan for what I wanted in life but I have learned to keep them loose and enjoy the journey, this way I can feel more open to new opportunities that I find in life instead of narrowing down my path.