My inspiration and ideas for this collection come from my background and from travelling. It is based on different times and cultures which influence my work. I gain much inspiration from the things that I see around me that can be translated into garment designs. From these sources I move on to sketching ideas. One aim is to create drawings that can be used as repeat patterns, another aim of this collection is to produce a unique multifunctional clothing design with both historical and cultural meaning.
I was looking at examples of women's clothing from the eighteenth and the nineteenth century. I was interested in their shape, silhouette and the construction. I explored the layers of fabrics, massive sleeves and how women’s clothing has evolved with the new styles of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Drawing on these sources, I combined shapes and ideas to design a contemporary look for garments. I was fascinated by folding clothing, pleats and ruffles, which I combined with hand-printed fabrics.
