Meet Amelia Dyer, The Zandra Rhodes Fashion Textiles Award Winner. She went to Kingston University, graduating with a Fashion BA Hons.
How do you feel about winning a GFW22 award?
I feel so honoured to be recognised for my collection and particularly my love and appreciation of textiles within fashion. It’s also an amazing, inspiring opportunity to be a part of Graduate Fashion Week, alongside so many other creatives.
What was the inspiration starting point for your award-winning FMP?
My FMP ’Echoes of a life’ incapsulates family, authenticity and Fine Art, referencing my Grandad as central inspiration. His love of Modern Art, including work by artists such as Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson, are integral in my design aesthetic and colour references. Layering on top of this artistic direction, are the memories of his time spent in the RAF. Stories and heirlooms my Grandad shared with me, became central source pieces. Referencing ergonomic shapes used by Modernist artists, together with authentic RAF plane constructions, helped inform the fabrications, silhouettes and textile patterns.
What skills did you learn and develop during the production of your FMP?
I knew I wanted to combine a variety of textile techniques alongside my simpler woven fabrics, to add an unexpectedness and personal touch. I developed hand painted digital prints, needle felting, linear ribs and ergonomic plaited cables across various key garments. I had not explored needle felting before, however I thought it would sit perfectly against the graphic digital prints, whilst adding a more delicate patterned approach to my knitwear. Celebrating all of these different textile techniques within my pieces, creates a greater depth, tying the range together with an artistic thread.
What were some challenges that you faced in producing your FMP and how did you overcome these?
During the toiling process of the 6 looks, I think knowing what to prioritise was challenging. You want to make sure each garment is special enough and sits well with the rest of the range. Also, the fast paced nature of toiling and re-toiling garments, meant that you had to throw yourself in straight away from the start and not get too caught up in sketching and researching, sometimes you have to realise it in 3D to see if it’s a successful design. Understanding you can't know what your final outcome will be at the beginning is important, you have to go through lots of processes and tests, as your work will always continue to develop in ways you may not have thought of.
Are there any messages or major themes in your FMP that you want people to take away? If so, how did you choose to communicate them?
My project primarily draws on themes surrounding Art, Design, memories and heirlooms. I love to highlight references from alternative areas of Design such as Sculpture, Fine Art, Architecture, and furniture, to inform my fashion practice and provide an innovative, unusual approach. I think having an appreciation for the Art and Textile world is something I feel passionate about and wanted to celebrate within my collection.
Equally, a sustainable mindset is something I always design with, which made me even more determined to source and discover unique, special ornaments, artefacts and alternate materials which would have had a different function previously, and transforming it into something which I can look back on and feel proud to have within my collection.
What is an aspect of the fashion industry that you want to help improve or have a positive impact on?
It’s an exciting, ever-changing time for designers, with new innovative ways of manufacture and fabrics emerging, as well as a more digital approach to designing. However, I think it is important to look at the past for traditional methods and techniques, research, archives and craftsmanship, to be able to still have an illustrative, authentic aspect of the design process. One of my favourite parts of designing, is gathering vintage source pieces to inform design details, or hand sketching silhouettes and patterns to translate into shapes and print artworks. All of these elements combined as well as a new digital approach is an exciting, inspirational time, providing designers with endless possibilities and avenues to explore.
What form does your FMP take? Is it a collection of clothing, book, presentation, etc? If relevant, how did you source the materials for the project?
My final project is my 6 look collection along with my editorial look book and digital portfolio. The looks include techniques such as knitwear, digital surface prints, needle felting embellishment. As well as this, I made three bags, which were all up-cycled using vintage military surplus tents. I wanted to keep the original features of the tents, such as the seams and metal hardware, as an echo of my grandfather’s life, and provide and authentic thread to my collection.
What are your plans for the near future (further study/ internship/ work?) now that you've finished your BA?
I want to continue learning and exploring my craft in a professional environment, gaining experience and skills through industry professionals and continuing to build my knowledge and love of design, print and knitwear.