Amy Brown
Contact: asmerdonbrown@icloud.com
University/School: University of Lancashire
View Amy’s Instagram & LinkedIn
About me
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About me _____
I am an artistic and sustainably minded designer, drawn to the relationship between fashion and art, with a passion for storytelling. I want my work to be experienced as more than clothing; I aim to create pieces that hold a sense of narrative, emotion and intrigue, inviting the wearer to look closer and discover the story within them.
My practice is rooted in a fascination with the handmade, the sentimental and the imperfect. I am naturally nostalgic and observant, often finding inspiration in personal histories, cultural narratives, objects and details that might otherwise be overlooked. Sustainability and ethical practice are central to my approach, and I am particularly interested in how craftsmanship, considered design and longevity can create garments that are valued and kept. My experience at Jo-Y-Jo in Manchester introduced me to the specialist world of knitwear, while my time at Aries Arise exposed me to luxury streetwear and broadened my understanding of contemporary fashion.
Throughout my degree, I have been fortunate to have my work recognised through a number of opportunities, including winning the Best of University of Lancashire Catwalk, the Liberty London and Maxxam competitions, as well as being nominated for the Hilary Alexander Sustainable Trailblazer Award and the Graduate Fashion Week Portfolio Award. Looking ahead, I hope to develop an ethically minded brand centred around small, limited-edition capsule collections, where sustainability never comes at the expense of beauty, creativity or a compelling story.
Inspiration
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Inspiration _____
Love Letters Across Distance: A Story of Absence, Connection and Memory
My graduate collection began with something deeply personal: my great-grandad’s autobiography, photographs and the love letters exchanged between him and my great-grandmother during a period of wartime separation. I have only a handful of memories of my great-grandad, having been very young when he passed away, but reading his autobiography gave me an unexpected sense of closeness. His expressive and emotional writing felt almost as though he were speaking directly to me, revealing a depth of desire, devotion and longing that I had never known. Around the same time, my nana rediscovered his autobiography while I was beginning to consider the direction of my final collection, and the timing felt significant.
The hand-tinted photographs particularly captivated me, with their softened colours and aged quality providing the starting point for my palette and visual language. I became fascinated by the idea of how photographs, letters and clothing can all become vessels for memory; physical objects that preserve feelings long after the moment itself has passed. This led me to explore the idea of the ‘myth of the missing half’, and the tension between absence and completion. I translated this through menswear-inspired silhouettes, layering and gestures of incompleteness, including doubled collars and additional sleeves, alongside delicate hand-sewn finishes, appliqué and tactile textile techniques.
Sustainability became embedded within the making of the collection rather than treated as an addition. I worked with mono-fibre fabrics to encourage future recyclability, while focusing on craftsmanship and high-quality construction to give each garment longevity. Every piece carries a meaning, whether directly connected to my great-grandad’s story or expressed more subtly through material, colour, construction and texture. Ultimately, the collection became a way of reconnecting with someone I knew only briefly, transforming fragments of his life into something tangible and contemporary.
My work
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My work _____
“I believe sustainability should never compromise beauty; when craftsmanship and storytelling are given the time they deserve, clothing can become something much more meaningful than what we simply wear.”
