About Me
Hi, I'm Constance, a fashion design graduate form Leeds Arts Uni
I am a Leeds based graduate fashion designer who specialises in menswear but takes inspiration from womenswear. I am interested in recreating the idea of what menswear is and allowing men to discover their selves through clothing that is not limited to traditional ideas that have been pushed on them.
After studying at Leeds Arts University for 3 years I have decided to stay Leeds based as I love the community I have surrounded myself with. In my future I would love to work with musicians by styling and designing their stage wear so that their musical identity can be instantly seen through their fashion choices. I feel like music and fashion inspire each other and help each thing grow and develop in new, exciting ways. I would love to be able to work and combine the two things that are huge ways to express yourselves through arts.
INSPIRATION
I was originally inspired by the arts within protesting and social movements.
After viewing John Simpson's photography book, Protest! I was moved by the images of people throughout history participating in protests and social movements. I started looking at the arts and fashion choices that helped support and develop protests, and some that were a protest themselves. For example, the tartan in my designs is a direct link to my Scottish heritage but also a nod to the tartan ban (The Dress Act 1746) where tartan was prohibited in Scotland but Highlanders still wore it in protest.
The Punk subculture was a large inspiration to my design process as the entire movement was a massive protest, every aspect of it challenged normal societal ideas of the time. This influence also inspired my use of tartans but I chose the final fabric choices by using the last names of my immediate families to find the correlating clans tartans. The Zoot Suit was used as a protest in form of clothing during the Zoot Suit Riots by Latin American youths that became a large inspiration for my press piece.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
Reconstructed Legacy - Lvl 5 University Module
Reconstructed Legacy - Lvl 5 University Module
Burberry/Basingstoke - Lvl 5 University Module
Graduate Collection Process
Graduate Collection Process
Graduate Collection Process
Graduate Collection Process
Graduate Collection Technical Pack Highlights
Graduate Collection Technical Pack Highlights
DETAIL
I used pleats repeatedly in my designs to suggest more feminine silhouettes.
I was inspired by the single long pleat in a traditional Zoot Suit and the pleats that appear in Kilts to incorporate excessive pleats in my designs. In my press piece I altered the classic Zoot Suit trousers by bringing up the waist slightly more and making them fit tight, with the added pleats the silhouette becomes very feminine – small waist, big hips. The pleats being in different tartans makes the garment far more interesting and exciting when its being worn as every movement will display a new unseen area of the trouser. I also used excessive pleats in my skort/kilt in outfit two of my collection, instead of a traditional kilt where the front is usually flat wrapped round, I pleated my fabric as I felt it created a more feminine finish.
"You are no Longer Bound Down by the Unmanly Dress of the Lowlander"
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