The Herald Magazine gains exclusive access to the fire-ravaged Mackintosh Building at Glasgow School of Art to showcase the beautiful work of three graduates from the master of design in fashion and textiles programme.
KELLY McGRATH
Besides the work of illustrators such as William Swainson and Ernst Haeckel, the collection from the Irish designer reflects her passion for early 1980s club culture and the mavericks Leigh Bowery and Boy George, regular visitors to London clubs Blitz and Taboo. "The 'Blitz kids' celebrated anything and everything as long as it was glamorous, and this ethos rings true in my prints," says the 25-year-old. "This fascination took centre stage as I began to build a silhouette based on iconic pieces from that period such as the high-waisted tapered-leg trouser, the oversized shirt and the overcoat."
The fruits of her labours make up a collection of hand-drawn and hand-painted illustrations digitally printed to wrap around the silhouette of a 1980s nightclubber.
Pictured: Andrew wears heavy natural linen bird-print coat and silk twill bug-print shirt
IRINA GUSAKOVA
"The inspiration for my collection stems from my fascination with the ideas of visual perceptions and illusions," says the 28-year-old. Aiming to create striking visual experiences through prints, the Russian designer looked at Op Art and such artists as Bridget Riley and Rafael Soto, besides the stripy patchwork fabrics of Louise Bourgeois. "Working solely with stripes, I tried to find new ways to interpret them into textiles using a variety of different techniques like patchworking, flocking and foiling, halftone and digital printing." Silhouette-wise, the collection is inspired by the clean and crisp lines of the 1960s.
Pictured: Claire wears forest-green jumpsuit with digitally printed displaced stripes
TING CHEN
The 24-year-old has created an exquisite womenswear collection primarily inspired by ukiyo-e, the ancient Japanese art of woodblock printing and paintings. "I love their flat colours and abstract painterly skills," says Ting Chen. She also references many other Japanese elements, such as temari (traditional spherical wool toys), the Japanese crane, goldfish, geisha and tea ceremonies. "The most important pattern for me is the goldfish, which is inspired from the film Sakuran, where many goldfish are floating in the sky at the beginning. I was totally attracted to this wonderful image."
The Chinese designer draws her initial pattern then scans it before adding colour. The inspiration for her silhouette, or the sculptural shape of her outfits, is from the kimono, the most iconic of traditional Japanese garments. She incorporates its crossover collar and loose sleeves into her garments, which are made in silk satin and organza, which best reflect her elegant and fluent patterns.
Pictured: Claire wears pink silk satin and organza temari-print kimono top and skirt
The Glasgow School of Art MDes Fashion and Textiles Promenade takes place in the auditorium of the Reid Building, 164 Renfrew Street on Friday. There are three shows on the night - 6pm (reserved for students, tickets £5), 7pm and 8pm (open to the public, tickets £10). Tickets area available from the GSA shop. Visit www.gsa.ac.uk/life/gsa-events/events/m/mdes-fashion-plus-textiles-promenade
Styling: Eva Arrighi
Photographs: Kirsty Anderson
Models: Andrew Dhesi from The Model Team and Claire Thompson from Colours Agency
Makeup and hair: Ainslie Currie using Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown and Bumble And Bumble
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