Challenging Age In Womenswear: An Interview With the Fashion Printed Textiles Winner
An Interview with the winner of the Dame Zandra Rhodes Fashion Printed Textiles Award 2026, supported by F&F: Abbie Jarvis from the University of Lancashire.
Having sewn since the age of six, she has always been a maker; Abbie Jarvis draws much of her inspiration from working in three dimensions and experimenting directly on the stand, preferring to move quickly from initial ideas to the physical process of creating rather than spending extensive time sketching. As a highly tactile designer, the layering of fabrics and textures is central to her practice. Working directly on the mannequin enables her to experiment freely and push the boundaries of how different materials can interact, without being confined to the limitations of the page.
What unexpected source influenced your final outcome?
“Print became one the biggest parts of my collection, which was a huge surprise as it’s something I have pretty much no experience with. I was recommended to look into the artists Gilbert & George, who I was unfamiliar with and I’ve kind of become obsessed with their work since. The saturated colours and graphic style they have, I just find so inspiring can see a lot of my own style in their work. Using them as muses for my project, I experimented with a sample photograph I took at college with my mum and grandad, it was for a shoot I was doing as part of a photography project where I asked them to where hats and stand in a giant cube looking at each other. I messed around with the photograph digitally and turned it into a placement print maybe a month into working on my collection and it stuck with me the whole way through, unchanging, I’m still obsessed with it now.”
What’s the best piece of creative advice you’ve ever received?
“I have had so many great pieces of creative advice through my journey so far, but I think the best was from one of our technicians at uni who, if something had gone wrong or we were struggling to figure out how to do something, she would say ‘there will always be a way, it may not be the conventional way of doing things but there will be a way somehow’.”
How would you describe your creative voice in three words?
“Maximalist, heritage, sophisticated”
What kind of impact do you hope your work has beyond aesthetics?
“My collection was targeted towards a mature female audience, inspired by conversation I’d had with my Mum about how she can never find clothes for her age. I want my collection to highlight how overlooked older women are in fashion and they still deserve clothing that’s exciting and colourful and makes them the centre of attention and not feeling as though they are completely invisible.”
Which designer, artist or creative would you most like to show your work to?
“After finishing my collection and knowing what I big impact they have had on it, I would love to show my collection to Gilbert & George. They were such a huge inspiration for my project I really feel like there a part of it and I would to hear what think of my prints.”
What conversations do you hope your work starts?
“I hope my work starts conversations about the fashion industries dysfunctional relationship with age. As a woman your pretty much never the right age, if you are young, your exciting with fresh ideas and you want to look amazing, but also your too young and realistically you can’t afford a lot of fashion that’s on the market. However, when you reach a more mature age, you’re at the height of your career you can afford the beautiful designer brands and you have fabulous places to wear them, now your actually too old and ‘past it’. It sometimes feels as though a lot of women’s fashion is targeted towards a woman who doesn’t actually exist.”
What advice would you give to a student currently starting their final collection or portfolio?
“My advice to any student would always be follow your research, let it guide you and don’t try to heavily to control the final outcome, as this is the only way you will create something better than you could have imagined. I would also say trust your design instinct as well, if something feels really right to you then go with it and experiment, this is how to develop your own style.”
So what’s next for you after graduating?
“I am now so excited to graduate and I’m looking to set up my own ‘British made’ women’s wear brand, mainly focusing heavily of on print and pattern clashing.”
