About Me
Hi, I'm Molly a women's knitwear fashion graduate from Kingston
I have always had deep-rooted respect for craftsmanship and I centre a lot of my work around the heritage aspect of this. I often look back at history to inspire my concepts, silhouettes, techniques, colour and fabrication using this as the springboard for my ideas.
Since going to university I have fallen in love with knitwear design and the heritage aspect of it. Knit is so unique as it can be used to create your own fabrics, prints and textures. Within my knitwear designs, I often work with bright colours and patterns making a conscious effort to use sustainable yarn fibres like wool and cotton. As a women’s wear designer, I love working across the board with both prints and knits alongside interesting fabrics to create detailed collections with depth and character.
INSPIRATION
I have taken inspiration from my Welsh heritage and the desire to pay homage to that.
I remember when I was younger dressing up in traditional Welsh dress for St David’s Day and loving having a day in school dedicated to learning about everything Welsh. ‘Y CYMOEDD’ focuses on my love for my heritage by exploring the rich history of Wales creating a modern women’s wear collection that captures this. I reached out to Melin Tregwynt a Mill in Wales that still creates traditional Welsh tapestry. They very kindly sponsored my final collection, allowing for the incorporation of this fabric.
The starting point for the research began when I found stunning portraits of Welsh women knitting in traditional Welsh dress from the 19th century, this inspired the voluminous silhouette of the collection. The colour pallet of this collection has drawn inspiration from the Welsh tapestry fabric that holds so much heritage within it. Looking at the motifs the tapestry inspired the intricate fair isle designs I created within the knitwear.
MY WORK
PORTFOLIOS
TITULAR PAGE
MOODBOARD
FABRICS
FAIR ISLE CARDIGAN DEVLOPMENT
WELSH TAPESTRY COAT DEVELOPMENT
PRINT & QUILTED DRESS DEVELOPMENT
KNITTED WELSH FAIR ILSE VEST DEVELOPMENT
TECH PAC FOR KNITTED VEST AND PAPERBAG TROUSERS
CROCHET DRESS DRAWN DEVELOPMENT
TECH PAC FOR BODYSUIT AND CROCHET DRESS
FINAL ILLUSTRATED LINE UP
PHOTOSHOOT
PHOTOSHOOT
PHOTOSHOOT
PHOTOSHOOT
PHOTOSHOOT
PHOTOSHOOT
PHOTOSHOOT
PHOTOSHOOT
DETAIL
I used photos I took of Welsh mines to develop digital prints
A large part of Welsh history is its deep ties to its industrial mining roots which still leaves both physical and social scars on the Welsh Valleys. I visited and photographed a series of these mines the main being the world heritage site of the Big Pit Mine. I took inspiration from the work of photographer David Bailey who photographed the Welsh valleys in the 1980’s and turned the photographic black and white. Layering the photographs, playing with scale and opacity I created abstract collages of the mines which I then had digitally fabric. The application of the print is done in a large scale to abstract it even more with it being quilted into on one look.
'YOU HAVE TO STAY TRUE TO YOUR HERITAGE; THAT'S WHAT YOUR BRAND IS ABOUT.' - A.TEMPERLEY
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