Olivia Williams
Contact:: oliviagrace7890@gmail.com
University/School: Kingston University London
Location: London
About me
_____
About me _____
I’m Olivia, a fashion graduate from Kingston university.
Olivia Williams is a fashion design graduate specialising in menswear, womenswear, print and sustainability. In her design work she combines themes of cultural heritage, belonging and our interaction with indoor and outdoor spaces.
Studying fashion design has allowed me to visually explore historic and contemporary issues around culture, identity and how we interact with different environments. Using print and re-purposed fabrics I have explored how Caribbean communities have historically engaged with spaces within the UK and the reclamation of visibility in rural spaces within the UK through black hiking groups.
Inspiration
_____
Inspiration _____
Reclaiming rural spaces: Footprints of the Diaspora
My work is inspired by the history behind black bodies being housed in urban spaces during the post war period in the UK despite often originating from countries with vast rural landscapes. I have explored this connection to indoor and outdoor environments through the Caribbean front room which was an indoor space for community and belonging and the contemporary phenomenon of black hiking groups which empowered their decedents to explore rural spaces in the UK as an act of resistance.
For this project fabrics tell a story of the interaction between indoor and outdoor spaces. I have merged outdoors materials such as tent fabric and merging this with furnishing fabrics. Making my garments in these fabrics brings this indoor sanctuary of the Caribbean Front room into the outdoors. The collection also references my grandmother's wardrobe merging garments featuring Jamaican flora with the durability of hiking wear through metal zips and fastenings and transformative elements.
My work
_____
My work _____
Detail
_____
Detail _____
“It was about the construction of a safe place where black people could affirm one another and by so doing heal many of the wounds inflicted by racist domination”
