Meet GFF Talent, Amelia Hughes, a fashion design graduate from Arts University Bournemouth. Amelia was inspired by a family holiday to Australia where she learned about the rich history and cultural traditions of Indigenous Australians. She has incorporated the use of paint to create body art, as well as silhouettes reminiscent of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House to create her collection of six garments. Read more below.
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
I have learnt many things whilst at University which will remain with me throughout my career in the Fashion Industry, the catalyst being the discovery of my own individual style and my passion for colour and textiles. I also understand the importance of organisational skills to meet multiple deadlines. I enjoy being able to curate my own design aesthetic as well as learning several different pattern cutting techniques adopting subtraction cutting as my favourite. The most important revelation has been the realisation that it is essential to always be prepared to compromise and adapt in order to achieve your end goal.
What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
During the summer of 2019 I was going through family holiday albums when I came across our 2004 trip to Australia. Going through the photo album did evoke magical memories. We were staying with a family friend on an extended holiday in Cairns, tropical North Queensland. As I worked my way through the album I realised how much I had experienced during the trip, the visits to the zoo to see the native wildlife, swimming on the barrier reef and a trip to the outback to name but a few. Towards the back of the album I came across one photograph which stood out amongst the others, and it is this photograph which became my initial inspiration for my FMP. The photo was taken by my Mother and is a picture of my five year old self, my older sister, my Father and four Aborigine men wearing body art.
We were visiting the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park. As an educational experience for the world’s oldest living culture it captures the very essence of the indigenous Aborigines. Although a young child I remembered how I found myself mesmerised by the celebratory dances and cultural body paint and dress. This photograph is very special to me and will always have a big place in my heart as it represents my highlight of the holiday. The photograph, was the original seed which flourished into the main inspiration behind my Painted Lines Collection, but I also visited an Aboriginal Art Gallery (Wetpaint Gallery in Stroud) which exhibits 21st Century artwork. I arranged a meeting with the curator Nadia Phillips, and was fortunate enough to view the whole collection. During this inspiring visit my mind was opened to what lies beyond their application of paint on their bodies, along with their amazing artwork. I found the artwork to be not only fascinating in its storytelling but visually inspirational and striking.
With this, I saw an opportunity to expand their use of paint by somehow translating it into my project’s concept. From here, I quickly developed my initial work by adopting and practicing the powerful energy paint transmits in its brushstrokes. I began this working journey by exploring how I could replicate emotion and feeling with my use of paint and how it can then be mirrored onto fashion statement-making garments. To maintain the Australian theme I paired the Indigenous inspired painting style with the bold architecture of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks, Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. The two constructions work well together to form a very structured spontaneous architectural theme.
What form does your final project take?
My Final Major Project takes the form of a capsule collection. The final designs make up a range of six outfits (with a minimum of twelve garments). For my recent FMP2 hand in, I worked on the creation of four outfits: these included a standalone dress, a dress and coat, a dress with a pair of accessory sleeves and a skirt and jumper. However, for a catwalk show I would have made my entire collection line-up, which would have been the following, three womenswear outfits, one menswear outfit and one kidswear outfit. Under normal circumstances, if it were not for COVID-19, I would have been able to finish my four outfits, totalling seven garments plus the additional two outfits. I would have conducted a fashion photoshoot as well as feature on a catwalk to showcase my whole collection and fashion styling in a live format to give energy, movement and life, to my finished products.
My highly textured garments add structure and shape to my creative designs, which are inspired by the deconstructive silhouette of Sydney Opera House, and the constructive architecture of Sydney Harbour Bridge. My choice highlights two very renowned pieces of architectural history, and their ability to represent two very different approaches. I applied this theme into my design work by controlling the structured and deconstructed elements in both my garment silhouettes and the finer garment details.
My design work stemmed from collages that I created from extracts of Aboriginal artworks, highlighting the importance of print layout and cohesive linking. This has brought together my love and appreciation of both the indigenous and modern aspects of Australian culture. My styling decisions gave me a way of controlling the overall colour and finished look of each and every outfit. I was able to connect the collection by giving each outfit a clear and dominant cohesive link, which were both functional and visually pleasing. It was a way of ensuring every outfit was polished and fashionable.
What materials have you used and how did you source them?
In December I went to Paris with my University to begin sourcing fabrics for my final collection. Here I bought several fabrics both for final and toiling processes. Most of the bought fabrics were white canvases as that allowed me the freedom to explore my use of colour. Following the textiles brief I did a lot of sample development, where I explored screen print, dying, digital embroidery, embellishment, beading, and machine knit. My textile journey for my final collection began with acrylic paintings and Indian ink. This was then translated into screen print and embroidery. Further to this, the fashion statement was accompanied with thoughtfully developed knit designs, supporting textile balance and concept structure. There is order and craftsmanship in the layers of my designs, supported by an abundance of textiles.
The screen print, knit and embroidered components in my collection adds volume to the texture, increasing the tactile elements of each constructed material. My design development exhibits structured and deconstructed silhouettes, inspired by the iconic architecture of Sydney. Although there is order and crafted layers in my designs, there is also fluidity in their movements, making them elegant and modern. In order to provide structure in not only the design but in the fabric, I sourced 100% polyester fabric with a low stretch and tactile surface.
In contrast to this I used two versions of neoprene fabric, with very stretchable and tactile surface properties. These materials were used to emphasise the destructive architecture theme. I used a variation of quality yarns for my knitwear garments, including the following, lambswool, Shetland wool, and boucle wool. The yarns were carefully selected to ensure my colour palette was met, and there was a range of weights and textures. The construction of my knitwear uses organised patterns creating slants and lines using several yarn sequences.
How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
I have learnt a great deal and developed my fashion skills immensely whilst working on my Final Major Project. During this time my design ideas continually evolved but I always referred back to my initial ideas as I never wanted to lose sight of the inspiration they originally gave me. My skillset also broadened as I learnt new techniques including machine knit, more complex digital pattern cutting, more complex sewing techniques, and improving my textile abilities. When completing the Textiles brief, sampling became a key part in my project’s journey. I was constantly evolving and adapting my work until I found the right materials and the desired effect. My knitwear went through a long process of learning and discovery. I did not expect to have so much knitwear in my final collection until I discovered how the slanting technique and pleating rib work complimented my designs.
My colour palette is hugely inspired by Aboriginal artwork. By embracing their bold tones and taking inspiration from their striking paintwork, my collection has evolved into a very colourful vibrant line-up. This underwent several changes and colour combinations until I found the final palette I wanted to use. The application of pigment is broken down with screen print and textiles. This adds depth and sophistication, and reveals hidden colours and patterns during movement. The bright colours are edgy and bold. One element of Painted Lines that evolved thoroughly was my Neoprene Jacket. It was made in several prototype fabrics to find the correct weight and style.
Other things to take in consideration was the allowance of print. My Painted Dress also went through fabric changes, the blue colour was slightly too dark and therefore more suitable for my men’s shorts. In order to rectify this the dress was replaced with the same print and similar fabric type but dyed a lighter blue. Another unexpected change from my initial ideas was who I am designing for. The project started as a womenswear collection but changed to include menswear and kidswear. The main thing I will take away from this project is to always be prepared to be flexible and adapt concepts and designs. With a creative mind, I appreciate that the initial idea will undergo many changes through to the end product.
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?
Painted Lines is an architectural collection inspired by the strong energy of paint, with a cohesive line-up demonstrating bold, fun, tactile and multi-dimensional designs. With the initial starting point of the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park photograph my project was influenced by the Aboriginal culture, which believes in the importance of identity and communities. My Final Major Project demonstrates a sophisticated, quirky, and feminine collection which provides a statement making line-up supported by raw print and patterns. My project supports the political subject of cultural appreciation, since I found my inspiration from a culture outside that of my own.
I wanted to ensure that my FMP did not however, venture into cultural appropriation, as I wanted my project to be a subtle reminder of my initial inspiration rather than copying or projecting any cultural reference that would be seen as disrespectful to the Aboriginal culture. Cultural appropriation is a sensitive topic in the Fashion Industry as it battles with the political boundaries of designers and ideas. I researched fashion history to help guide me on how some designers have explored cultural concepts graciously and respectfully.
I found the best way to explore cultural appreciation in my concept without crossing lines and to avoid causing any offence was to always give clear acknowledgement of how the culture’s use of paint was my original source of inspiration. I paired this inspiration with modern iconic Australian architecture, broadening an Australian theme. The architecture supplies constructive and deconstructive themes, with opposing silhouettes outlined by the Sydney Bridge and Opera House. The two contrasting shapes provided great design interpretation and creativity. For example, the organised deconstructing effect inspired by the Opera House alongside the fitted garment seams designed to look like a constructive framework.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
Being a textiles fashion designer I am passionate about promoting more sustainable textile practices. I believe a way of doing this, would be to actively find and learn more sustainable techniques within the textiles sampling process. It is important to highlight the usefulness and positivity of eco friendly fashion recycling and up-cycling. Sustainability is a hot topic right now in the Industry. During my FMP I was able to see first-hand how textiles can have a high waste and unsustainable effect on the environment, which is why I want to work on new and improved methods. For example, minimizing the waste product (prolonging processes by continuously reusing them) and where possible use alternative ingredients that do not harm the environment.
I would love to be able to discover ways of dying and printing fabric with a more sustainable approach, lowering the water usage and finding natural ingredients (non-toxic) for dying purposes. I have undertaken a lot of research on this topic with regards to the textile Fashion Industry, and have discovered that there are some brands who are contributing to the positive impact of sustainability. Alliterative Apparel, Pact and Thredup are textiles/ fashion/ recycling companies which thrive on a sustainable approach as a way of improving the Fashion Industry.
It remains the overriding case that The Fashion Industry is forever evolving, and the consumption of fast fashion is not slowing down anytime soon. A lot of textile practices are strongly connected to waste materials. I feel as though some fashion brands could take this ever evolving opportunity to buy old fabrics, either left over stock from suppliers, or second hand from organisations. Regarding textiles, they could adapt old fabrics/materials to become new modern stylish designs by undergoing recycling (combining more than one material together to create a new recycled version).
What is your plan once you finish your BA?
On completion of my BA I plan to relocate to London in late August/early September with the aim of getting a job in the Fashion Industry. Whilst my preference would be to take a position in print, textiles or as a junior digital designer, I would however happily apply and accept any fashion position to start my fashion career. Whilst working I would also plan to expand my portfolio during my spare time with photoshoots and mini projects etc.