Meet Stephanie Ransom, a fashion student from Arts University Bournemouth. Stephanie’s final major project is inspired by her dad, and the biker culture that he was involved in as a young man. Looking at past and present iterations of biking culture, Stephanie translated these influences into a menswear collection that has a strong sustainability focus, having created her her own leather alternative fabric for her collection. Read more below!
What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
At university I have learnt a lot of really valuable fashion based skills such as Clo 3D, pattern cutting and textiles. However I think the most valuable thing I will take with me for the rest of my life is to have confidence in my creative ability, I have learnt to dig deep in myself and find personal inspiration anywhere. Turning an idea in to a concept and then in to a realised outcome.
What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
The starting point for my FMP was a really personal experience that happened to me and my family. A few year ago my dad suffered from a serious head injury, this lead to him losing a lot of memory and elements of his personality that made him who he was. He was was still my dad but was a different person. I took inspiration from this and my dads life before the accident. He was a biker and when he was younger was big part of the biker subculture. Looking at the classic look of the biker wear and the tough, rebellious styles of the subculture has been brought together to create a innovated men’s wear collection.
My family is rooted in the British biker culture, each generation connected to it in their own way. Keeping the past alive and brining it in the now. Using my fathers old biker clothes to drape, deconstruct and reconstruct oversized new garments. Collaging the past and the present elements of the biker essence. Hard protective textures rule these garments and are juxtaposed with rough knits and soft cottons. Taking classic fabrics from the movement and reinventing them. Bleeding colours of deep blues drawn from inkblot tests are broken up by crisp whites, dirty tabaco browns and harsh blacks. Taking traditional elements from the tough exteriors of the look and putting them on something new.
What form does your final project take?
My FMP will take from of an menswear collection. Due to Covid-19 the manufacture of my garments was stopped, to adapt to this I have created my garments on Clo 3D software. There I have pattern cut, sewn and rendered my collection digitally. Before the lock down it would of been a final collection I could show on the catwalk, now it is a fully realised digital collection.
What materials have you used and how did you source them?
The main materials I have used for my FMP are denim, knit and cotton. I have created a lot of my own textiles by treating, coating and over-dying the materials. A lot of my fabrics I bought in Paris and then changed them to fit my aesthetic.
How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
My work has evolved from my initial ideas to look more in to the traditional, classic elements and details from the subculture. My FMP started with very little textiles and as my ideas and skills development the more and more textiles I brought in, it development from simple menswear to contemporary menswear design paired with raw textiles. I have learnt how to deeply research in to my concept and make it my own. Also I have learnt how to push the boundaries of what a material and garment can be.
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?
The message behind my FMP work is that you don't need to harm other living things for the sake of a style. Being sustainably conscious and mindful about the impact we are having on our planet. My collection shows that you don't need to use real leathers and use plastic alternatives to create a classic tough look of the biker.
The biker jacket and other leather garments and accessories are alway in the latest fashion trends. Through my experimentation with textiles and treating denim I have created a animal skin leather alternative that isn't made from plastics that will be in landfill for thousands of years. It has the strong, durable qualities of denim but also looks and feels like leather. We should not harm animals or our planet for fashion, we need to think about what our clothes are saying about us.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
I really want to have an impact on the denim part of the fashion industry really pushing the boundaries of what denim is and can do. Also I want make the industry more sustainable and move away from the idea of disposable clothing and push for slow fashion. Garments that are styling and last.
What is your plan once you finish your BA?
My plan after finishing my BA is to collected some industry experience, I want intern and learn as much as I can from industry for a year then next September I want to start my masters degree. I want to focus and expand my skills in menswear, textiles and digital fashion.