Meet Gussie O'Connor, Our GFW24 Award Winner

Congratulations to Gussie O'Connor from Kingston University for your remarkable achievement in winning the GFW24 Culture & Heritage Award Design! Gussie's talent and dedication are truly commendable, and this accolade highlights their contribution to the field. Well done!

What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?

Learning how to curate research, design, and finalise projects set to major industry briefs. The process of design and product, understanding how the imagined design has to relate to the functional and wearable while keeping the core ideas behind it.

What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?

I am inspired by traditional slogans, emblems, crests and phrases, rewording them and screen printing them to question the integrity of our current government, the monarchy as a symbol of "Britishness", and holding a 14-year-old Tory tenure to account. These political themes are recurring sentiments in graffiti around Brighton. As citizens, we navigate a tumultuous time in British politics, and my work represents a feeling of distinct and profound change in young people's political and ideological beliefs.

What form did your project take?

My project took on the form of a six-look collection composed entirely of printed garments. Print is imperative to "political optics" and message sending; therefore, I deploy it liberally in meaning and in fabrication. Using only second-hand garments, I have placed new meaning onto the traditional "Britishness" in order to reclaim patriotism from right-wing scaremongers, giving our country a new meaning: of unprejudiced inclusivity and solidarity, curating a look of 'diverse harmony' that exists within our union today.

What materials have you used, and how did you source them?

I used second-hand clothing to create my six looks; each look was based on a type of clothing I see regularly at charity shops. Look one was made from second-hand t-shirts, look two from men's work shirts, look three from jumpers, look four from denim, look five from hoodies, and look six from suit trousers. All my materials were sourced from charity shops or clothing going to landfills, which highlighted the responsibility we have as consumers to mend, upcycle, and reimagine our clothes before we throw them out.