2015
This body of work was in response to the annual competition 'The Big Idea', run by not-for-profit social enterprise The Big Issue, aiming to cultivate social innovation amongst a disadvantaged group. 'Adapt' centres around creating social change amongst women over the age of 55 at risk of homelessness, through upskilling these women in the relevant areas of sewing, pattern-making and design.
As its primary focus, 'Adapt' examines how upskilling the garment construction process has the potential to influence fashion design practice through simplification. This collection divulges innovative design solutions surrounding geometry, simplified construction methods, alternative closure techniques and high-quality finishing processes.
As a secondary focus, this collection embraces the changes female bodies of all ages endure over time, and seeks to provide a versatile and inter-generational approach to wearing and sharing clothing. Through a foundation of largely geometric pattern bases, forms of garment adaptability have been incorporated - such as wrapping, folding, tying and elasticising to facilitate a shared wardrobe. These processes not only allow for adjustable fit, but also offer multiple ways of wearing. 'Adapt' incorporates constructions that can revise to inevitable figure fluctuations, yet still remain beautiful on the wearer - so to avoid the discarding of garments if the body alters in size or shape.
Photography - Lauren Alyce Thom
Model - Amelia Larosa