Graduate Fashion Week
this year celebrated its 25th anniversary, the standard of fashion was
strong, as each graduate looks to following in the footsteps of designers
including Christopher Bailey, Antonio Berardi, Stella McCartney, Giles
Deacon, Julien MacDonald, Christopher Raeburn and Sophie Hulme.
This week’s graduate to watch is the talented Abby Johnson from Bath Spa
University, her collection celebrates the diversity of her hometown
Birmingham, with the use of embellishments and bold stripes, referencing
both Indian crafts and the football culture, in a collection of clothes
that wouldn’t look out of place on the high street at the moment.
FashionUnited sat down with Johnson to discuss her collection and
Graduate Fashion Week experience, why Bath Spa University, as well as her
advice for taking on a fashion design degree.
Why did you want to be a fashion designer?
“I have always loved fashion and art and knew that I wanted to work in
design. Fashion for me is so personal it is a way of communicating with
people and is completely transformative.”
What was the inspiration for your graduate collection?
“My graduate collection was inspired by the diversity I encountered
growing up in multicultural Birmingham. Combining English football fashions
with the traditional embellishment crafts of Indian culture resulting in a
bizarre parody of the two.”
What fabrics/techniques did you use?
“The main fabrics in my collection are jersey and denim, it was
important to me to stay true to the casual wear fabrics. Stripes inspired
by football shirts feature throughout, contrasted with delicate lace and
decadent embellishments. The embellishment was the main focus of my
collection developed from collaging found embellishments and trims.”
What are the signature piece/pieces?
“The signature pieces are the embellished jeans and sweatshirts
Inspired by reading about how football fans from working class backgrounds
would customise their clothes to fit in with fashions. I wanted to have a
feel of customisation and handcrafts in my embellishment using lace,
gemstones, beads and broken jewellery.”
Did you enjoy your Graduate Fashion Week experience?
“Yes, it was such an amazing experience. It was so great to see my own
work showcased in a professional environment. I met so many great people
there, both from industry and fellow graduates. It was a truly inspiring
week, hard work at times but amazing.”
Why did you choose to study at Bath Spa University?
“I chose to study at Bath Spa because of its studio like environment,
as it is a small course based in the historic Circus in Bath the amount of
contact time with tutors is invaluable. My time spent at Bath Spa has
taught me so much about fashion and pushed me to develop my own way of
working.”
What was the most valuable thing you learned on your
course?
“The most valuable thing I learn on my course is the balance of working
through designs and problem solving with stepping away and doing something
else. I think it is so important to know when you are over working and
overthinking an idea.”
What do you wish you had been told before you started your
degree?
“I wish I had been told to be fearless, I probably was told this but
didn’t listen but I think it is the best advice. Fearlessly experimenting
with design is how you discover ideas.”
What are your plans now that you’ve graduated?
“Now that I have graduated I want to continue to learn by taking up
internships and continuing with my own personal design work. I am soon to
start a graduate programme at River Island as part of their womenswear
design team.”
What advice would you give someone considering studying
fashion?
“It is difficult sometimes but if you love it that won’t matter. Make
sure you enjoy your work so that you can put everything you have into it.
If you push yourself you can only improve.”
Did you undergo any design placements?
“Yes, I undertook two placements during my studies, the first was a
week spent at Next during this short time I got a huge insight into how a
large design studio works from research and trend development to designing
and then sampling and quality control.
“The second placement I did was at Atea Oceanie, I assisted the design
team at Atea for a month learning and developing digital skills and design
skills. Here, I also learnt the importance of organisation and time
management seeing how each member of the team does their roles so that then
the next person can do theirs.”
Images: courtesy of Abby Johnson