About Me
I'm Ella, a BA Fashion graduate from Manchester Fashion Institute.
Sportswear, knitwear, and the juxtaposition of these within womenswear have been an integral part of my design philosophy, reoccurring throughout my time on the BA Fashion course at Manchester Metropolitan University.
I have always had an eagerness to explore sportswear garments that have undergone unique reinvention through a clash of ideas in reconstruction, stylization and textile design. A crucial part of my design process is reviewing how I can adapt menswear inspirations into a female setting and play with both knitwear and sportswear to compliment or contrast one another in the most successful way possible. This approach helps me to consistently provide a new and challenged approach to my practice, playing with material choice and silhouette to design exciting garments for the sporty, modern woman.
INSPIRATION
My inspirations focus on the reinvention of classic sportswear into new womenswear design.
Analysing the relationship between clothing on and off the football pitch, I have focused on spectators’ appropriation of the players performance sportswear, playing with this in a female presence. I have early memories in obsessing over Adidas collaborations, where unconventional ideas had been implemented to well-known tracksuits, trainers and through changes in silhouette and design.
Prominent aspects of my childhood have carved my creative identity today, centered around my grandad. Having an extensive background in professional football in my home city Bristol, my grandads' career gave me access to a significant amount of photographic research from the field as well as an unlimited number of spoken stories from his memories on the pitch, sparking an early interest in sportswear clothing. This led me down a path of exploration into football fans in the North during the 70's.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
CONCEPT & MUSE
COLOUR & FABRIC
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
TRAINER OBSESSION KNITWEAR
LOOK 1 REALISATION & CLO 3D
LOOK 2 DESIGN & TOILING
LOOK 2 REALISATION
LOOK 3 REALISATION
LOOK 4 REALISATION
FINAL LINE UP
FINAL SHOOT -LOOKS 1&2- PHOTOGRAPHY DAISY SIMPSON
FINAL SHOOT -LOOK 1 - PHOTOGRAPHY DAISY SIMPSON
FINAL SHOOT -LOOK 1 - PHOTOGRAPHY DAISY SIMPSON
FINAL SHOOT -LOOK 2 - PHOTOGRAPHY DAISY SIMPSON
FINAL SHOOT -LOOK 2 - PHOTOGRAPHY DAISY SIMPSON
FINAL SHOOT -LOOK 3 - PHOTOGRAPHY DAISY SIMPSON
FINAL SHOOT -LOOK 3 - PHOTOGRAPHY DAISY SIMPSON
FINAL SHOOT -LOOK 4 - PHOTOGRAPHY DAISY SIMPSON
FINAL SHOOT -LOOKS 3&4 - PHOTOGRAPHY DAISY SIMPSON
DETAIL
Details relied heavily on constructing a story of a fan to the game on match day.
I was able to put a strong focus on my muse and the essential elements of her life and journey as a working class supermarket worker, full time Casual football fan. My sampling became more considered, using unconventional wires to represent the barricading of gates at matches and introduced Tesco bags in knit to refer to her occupation. I was able to re define my color palette, considering a pop of orange deriving from the color of train ticket my muse would be carrying. Pocket sampling was based on the size of a can of Stella she may be carrying to the game, and my silhouette was based on the oversized style needed to hide and sneak things into the match.From this I then start to source fabrics, yarns and play with textiles accordingly and acquire ideas which align and flow in a successful manner ensuring my whole project synthesizes to create rigorous meaning, a crucial realization for me.
FOOTBALL CASUAL GONE FEMININE
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