About Me
HI, I’M ANNA, A FASHION DESIGN GRADUATE FROM NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY
SPECIALISING IN WOMENSWEAR AND PATTERN CUTTING, MY CAREFUL CRAFTMANSHIP, WITH A NOD TO MY HERITAGE, INFLUENCES MY UNIQUE DESIGN PROCESS. CHALLENGING MYSELF THROUGH CONSIDERED CONSTRUCTION AND TAILORING, WHILST COMBINING FEMININE AND MASCULINE ELEMENTS INTO NEW AND CONTEMPORARY GARMENTS.
MY RECENT TRIPS TO FLORENCE, ITALY HAVE AFFORDED ME WITH AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF AUTHENTIC MATERIAL PAYING HOMAGE TO MY ITALIAN FAMILY. FOCUSING ON TWO IMPORTANT PEOPLE, NONNA LIVIA AND NONNO ENRICO, WHO ESSENTIALLY SAVED THE FAMILY FROM THE HORRORS OF WW2, ALLOWED ME TO EXPLORE ELEMENTS OF A STRONG 1940'S WOMAN AND A COURAGEOUS, BRITISH SOLDIER. I CHALLENGED MYSELF TO EXPERIMENT ON THE STAND WITH CURVED SHAPES, REPEATEDLY SEEN THROUGHOUT ARCHIVAL FAMILY IMAGERY, TO DESIGN A NEW, INNOVATIVE WAY OF CREATING THE HOURGLASS SILHOUETTE OF A FEMALE WITH MILITARY HINTS.
INSPIRATION
CAPTURING A 1940'S TUSCAN LOVE STORY
'LA FORZA D'AMORE', A WOMENSWEAR A/W 2024 COLLECTION. DELVING INTO MY ITALIAN FAMILY HISTORY, SPARKED INSPIRATION, IN PARTICULAR THE LOVE STORY BETWEEN MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS, LIVIA AND ENRICO. THEIR PATHS MIRACULOUSLY CROSSING ON THE PONTE VECCHIO IN FLORENCE, GAVE ENRICO THE OPPORTUNITY TO RESCUE HIS NEW FOUND LOVE, LIVIA, AND HER FAMILY FROM THE BOMBARDMENT OF THEIR HOME. THE STUDY OF GARMENTS FROM HISTORICAL IMAGERY IDENTIFIES KEY GARMENTS FOR MY COLLECTION SUCH AS THE POWER SUIT.
A FUSION OF MILITARY INSPIRED DETAILS, IN PARTICULAR WITH REFERENCE TO 'SAM BROWNE BELTS', COMBINED WITH AN HOURGLASS SHAPE, INSPIRED BY THE CURVATURE OF THE BALUSTRADES, FEATURED IN ITALIAN ARCHITECTURE, INFORMS THE CINCHED AND BOXY SILHOUETTE ACROSS THE COLLECTION. TO HONOUR THE STRENGTH OF THE FAMILY DURING THE WAR YEARS, 'FORTE' (STRONG) FABRICS SUCH AS LAMBSKIN NAPPA LEATHER, FUSED COTTON GABARDINES AND WOOL SUITING HAVE BEEN USED.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
LA FORZA D'AMORE - FINAL COLLECTION CONCEPT
LA FORZA D'AMORE - COLOUR AND FABRIC BOARD
LA FORZA D'AMORE - MILITARY RESEARCH
LA FORZA D'AMORE - 1940'S WOMENSWEAR RESEARCH
LA FORZA D'AMORE - LOOK ONE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
LA FORZA D'AMORE - LOOK ONE CONSTRUCTION
LA FORZA D'AMORE - LOOK ONE CONSTRUCTION
LA FORZA D'AMORE - LOOK TWO DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
LA FORZA D'AMORE - LOOK TWO CONSTRUCTION
LA FORZA D'AMORE - LEATHER FOCUS
LA FORZA D'AMORE - LOOK 1 & 2 TECHNICAL FLATS
LA FORZA D'AMORE - LOOK 5 & 6 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
LA FORZA D'AMORE - FINAL LINE UP
AL MARE - FOLLOW ON COLLECTION CONCEPT
AL MARE - COLOUR AND FABRIC BOARD
AL MARE - SILHOUETTE RESEARCH
AL MARE - LOOK 3 & 4 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
AL MARE - LOOK 5 & 6 DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
AL MARE - FINAL LINE UP
DETAIL
ARCHITECTURAL X MILITARY SILHOUETTE FOCUS
INTERESTED BY THE COMBINATION OF MASCULINE/FEMININE DETAILS AND ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS, PARTICULARLY FOCUSING ON THE SHAPE OF BALUSTRADES. INSPIRATION FROM MILITARY STRAPS AND BUCKLES WERE INCORPORATED INTO EACH LOOK OF THE COLLECTION SUCH AS THE ILLUSION THE STRAPS CREATE TO EXAGGERATE THE FEMALE SILHOUETTE FOR LOOK 1. FABRIC CHOICES WERE INFLUENCED BY TRADITIONAL ITALIAN FABRICS SUCH AS WOOL SUITING AND LAMBSKIN NAPPA LEATHER PAYING TRIBUTE TO MY ITALIAN HERITAGE AS WELL AS THE BONDING OF TWO DIFFERING WEIGHTED FABRICS, MIRRORING THE ROMANTIC BOND BETWEEN LIVIA AND ENRICO.
" I AM GRATEFUL FOR HAVING A CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY. WE HAVE SHARED OUR ENERGIES AND LEARNT FROM ONE ANOTHER... I LIKE TO THINK THAT WE ARE DIFFERENT ARTERIES LEADING TO THE SAME HEART" - WANDA FERRAGAMO
Graduate Fashion Week in partnership with:
