The Accessories Award sponsored by YKK, challenges applicants to bring a modern and directional approach to the accessories arena. Eligible categories include Millinery, Shoes, Bags, Belts and Jewellery. Meet the nominees below!
Anna Melegh, University of Northampton
With my design, the goal was to create a comfortable piece which is more than a shoe. Just like I mentioned before I’m fascinated by the natural world, in particular varieties of bugs, butter ies and the habits they live in. According to recent studies, “the world’s insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems. The rate of extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles.
The total mass of insects is falling by a precipitous 2.5% a year, according to the best data available, suggesting they could vanish within a century” (Carrington, 2019). The aim was to give spotlight for insects, as fashion has the power to highlight various is- sues, and to raise awareness of the conservation and the beauty of nature and natural materials. Last year I had the chance to visit Iceland and visit their sh leather tannery which in influenced my work, and I decided to make my own leather at home from the waste of the finishing industry. I believe the change for the Footwear industry; what we take from nature could return to nature.
Brandon Haley, De Montfort University
This Project was inspired by the Kimono with a broad history spanning centuries. I am intrigued by both the attention to detail in how a garment is treated, cut and folded, including the minimalistic aesthetic. The concept was to translate a clean simple looking shoe whilst underneath the making is very complex meaning the people looking at this shoe would want to know how its made. Creating some- thing different.
I wanted to create a shoe that has a new construction in the way in which the panels interlock and fold within each other. Kimono consists of 8 panels which my shoe also does. I used white leather to highlight the Vegetable Tan which I molded and hand stitched. I used a red YKK zip and red thread as it resembles wealth and authority. I wanted to see if there was a different way of constructing a piece of footwear, instead of the generic overlaying and stitching of panels I tried to nd a way of folding, interlocking and weaving panels of leather together to reduce waste and to make for easy construction that may look complex from an outside view.
Chloe Fairweather - Northumbria University
A handbag collection inspired by the concept of invisibility: the desire to disappear. A concept we can all relate to in a time when we feel the urge to be invisible for a while and the world stops. Focusing on Victorian bags and the art of escapology allowed for the idea of chain style weaves and hardware. The colour palette was derived from the tones found within vintage photographs of Harry Houdini. While wanting to create a sustainable collection was at the forefront of my design process, materials such as remnant leather donated from fashion brands and polymorph mouldable plastic, which is biodegradable and non toxic were used.
Eleanor Jones, Manchester Metropolitan University
My aim for this collection was to give women a strong satire in fashion. Something that womenswear isn’t always renowned for. Women’s garments lack functionality and quality which is something i have tackled head on. The four bags that i have designed to complement myt collection of six outfits provide size, style, quality and sophistication with a modern edge combining 21st century technology with traditional craftsmanship. The attention to detail is key to me. Women’s clothes and bags have less pockets, less functions and are designed more for aesthetic purposes. I have designed for both.
Ella Hall, University of Brighton
My bag is an adapted version of a large fold-out angling tackle-bag, a key source piece from my collection archive. The bag has interchangeable and modular features, created by a number of chunky zips.
My aim was to introduce this piece of specialist kit to a new world. Through the idea of mixing functionality and practicality from angling equipment, with luxury menswear. The luxury element is introduced through the use of pure melton wool, as the body of the bag. Cotton webbing merges both ideas through its structural maintenance and soft quality. The robust and functional qualities are kept through the use of 5 bespoke YKK zips in 10mm. The zips are colour matched to the stone melton, with the olive taping giving a nod to the original bag. It is finished with 2 gunmetal release buckles which attach the bag to its coat, creating the backpack feature.
Ella MacFarlane, Nottingham Trent University
My final collection consists of 6 products, all products focus on exploring organic structure. They all hold a unique shape that has been developed from my research into dynamic forms. Each product uses rounded curves and edges with some products exaggerated to mould around the body, i.e product 2, the ‘Sculpted Underarm Bag’ and product 5, the ‘Under bust belt’. I was able to produce accessories that are made from one singular shape but built together to form a new, organic structure. The outcome of this project enables me to build upon each product by developing and adapting new bags from existing patterns.
Ffion McCormick-Edwards, Arts University Bournemouth
Inspired by a personal upbringing of waterskiing on the lakes of Wales, sparked a strong curiosity of the vast amount of wetsuits and life jackets stored at home. Motivated by the aesthetic and character of all the neglected garments influenced the strong, exciting design behind each product. As a conscious designer, it’s important to reuse and recycle pre existing resources into innovative and contemporary pieces. Pioneering the reworking of vibrant, surplus fabric is a conscious work ethos behind the collection, ensuring there is life after the lake.
Lucy Saunders, Kingston University London
Madeline McKenna, Coventry University
After investigating the waste disposal on site during my placement year working as a Junior colour, materials and finishes intern I decided to focus on developing a material from production waste that is non recyclable; Polyurethane Foam swarf dust from the automotive CNC process. I wanted to create a solution to non recyclable waste in the most sustainable way possible and working on how this could be applied to products in multiple industries, with an initial focus on Fashion Technology products. I have produced six pairs of working modular headphones from automotive production waste.
Rosie Wells, Nottingham Trent University
I took inspiration from gun and knife holsters to design accessory pieces on the body, as i wanted the pieces in my collection to act like a layer of protection to the wearer. From this research, I gathered shapes, patterns and a colour pallet to take forward into my own designs. I researched into why women buy into fast fashion and how these cheap and low quality pieces have a short life span. As a result, my collection is designed for the high end market, and uses high quality craftsmanship and materias to ensure my products have a long life span.