About Me
Hi! I'm Charisse, a Fashion graduate from Manchester Fashion Institute
Charisse is a womenswear designer who explores contemporary narratives inspired by her Filipino heritage. She embraces slow crafts including embroidery, print and custom fit tailoring. Sustainability regarding the use of deadstock fabrics and eco-friendly methods of adding colour to her work have played a significant role in her design philosophy.
As a conceptual designer, I enjoy delving into the idea of childhood nostalgia. It’s a theme that unites us all and I believe that finding a creative, contemporary way of showing this through textiles and colour defines my design development process. The 1920's era influenced my attraction to glitzy items because I believe that shiny objects have a joyful impact. I believe that high end garments can be made from reusing old garments. This process has allowed me, as a designer to see a potential for repurposing fabrics which will otherwise end up in landfill.
INSPIRATION
'Bayan Kong Sinilangan', translates to “The land where I was born.”
For my final year collection, I chose to explore the theme “escapism” by exploring my identity as a Filipina. I was also drawn to create garments that empower women and capture feminine beauty. My childhood best friend was my muse as she embodies the image of a modern young women. As my concept grew, I reflected on how I could interpret the feeling of excitement and joy one gets when revisiting their motherland.
While reflecting on old photo albums and photos from my last visit to the Philippines 7 years ago, I was inspired by the tropical fruits, exotic flowers, and Filipino phrases. The sampling stage is where I enjoyed hand painting my prints. I am grateful to have Kornit Digital print my final fabrics. This opportunity led me to fully explore colour and as a maximalist designer, I was able to to create vivid playful prints that reminded me of childhood freedom.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
Concept board
Concept and Muse board
Garment Research
Design Development
Print Placement
Fabric Board
Samples Board
Process of Making Outfit 1
Process of Look 2, 3 and 4
Process of Making Outfit 2
Process of Making Outfit 3
Process of Making Outfit 4
Final 6 Outfit Line Up
Final Outcome of Garments
Outfit 2
Outfit 4
Outfit 3
Outfit 4
DETAIL
Celebrating the memories created while embellishing beads, ruffles, and seashells.
I loved combining hand embellishing alongside digital print. The seashells and bead detail were a reference to the Philippines. Because of the slow nature of hand embellishing, I took this opportunity to bond with family who supported me through this process. The importance of slow craft for me lies in the community it builds. The beading also adds a sensory element and created a rhythmic sound when worn. The intertwined shell-beadwork symbolises both the scenic tides and the collection of childhood memories. The silhouettes are reminiscent of the fairy tale dresses I wore as a child. I used an organic draping approach when applying the ruffles on the dresses. To contrast this, I styled my garments with T-shirts printed with “I love Philippines”. In doing so, I wanted to capture how people in the Philippines perceive me as a tourist. Although I’ve lived most of my life in the UK, my country of birth will always hold my childhood memories. I loved celebrating that in this project.
“We didn’t realise we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.” - Winnie the Pooh
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