Charlotte Mansfield
Contact: mansfieldc30@gmail.com
University/School: Manchester Metropolitan University
View Charlotte’s, Instagram & LinkedIn
About me
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About me _____
Specialised in menswear, performance sportswear and innovation. I am a Manchester-based designer and product developer with a passion and focus on sustainability. While my designs and garments are designed for activities with more challenging needs and durability, I also design with an emphasis on colour, themes of empowered play and interesting fabrics.
My work is inspired by my own experiences of hiking and exploring the English countryside, especially the Lake District. I approach design and production through research, creative pattern cutting and innovative techniques, often challenging what most people think sportswear should look like. My research for my FMP led me to explore non sew construction and rethink not just how garments are made, but how they can be unmade. Using ultrasonic welding to ensure the garments can be easily recycled and therefore repurposed. The importance of limiting environmental impact in my designs has pushed me to explore outside of traditional construction techniques so that I can continue to enjoy my hobbies without further damaging the environment.
Inspiration
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Inspiration _____
Desire to challenge the assumptions of innovation within performance sportswear industry
My project draws from Alfred Wainwright’s Far Eastern Fells Pictorial Guide, using his illustrations as a conceptual blueprint. The drawing’s gradient, contour lines and directional markings form a topographical system that informs silhouette development, seam placement, and material experimentation.
Building on this foundation, my work integrates the visual language of 80s/90s outdoor apparel, reinterpreted through a contemporary lens of empowered play, bold colour blocking and geometric seam placements.
The collection priorities comfort and technical functionality. HS_01 is constructed using performance fabrics and techniques engineered for function and ease of movement, such as ultrasonic welding which I used to constructed outfit 1 to ensure the garments were mono material and recyclable after wear. The aim is to fuse retro outdoor aesthetics with modern performance engineering and innovation, translating the logic of the landscape into functional, expressive design for today’s multi purpose wardrobe.
My work
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My work _____
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.”
Discover more about Charlotte’s work in her award winner interview here.
