Degree Show_ 2015

Hannah Heaf (TextilesinPractice)

I was drawn over to Hannah's work by the fineness of the kimono style garment on display, which stood out to me amongst the other work due to it's delicate nature. 

I found her work enchanting and was really inspired by the innovative use of materials and processes. Hannah had utilised a range of unusual techniques to truly reflect and develop her research, of which the concept came through clearly and strongly. I was impressed by how diverse the collection was, whilst maintaining a coherent visual theme throughout, with pieces that complimented one another. 

This sensitive exploitation of knit in a broad sense is something I focus on in my own work. I am always interested in pushing what can be achieved with the medium; and developing a unique approach (as Hannah has) is how I hope my practice will develop in the coming year. 

I also noted the way Hannah created her look-book, the photography in it bought her samples and garments to life and combined with her drawings and research helped tell the story of the collection. I particularly liked the way she had layered her drawings and final outcomes with different papers, it gave the book a thoughtful feel and tactile quality. The presentation had a confident, clean aesthetic, successfully communicating the concept and work. 

As the presentation of work will be something to consider more throughout 3rd year, studying the graduates look-books got me thinking about how I might communicate my ideas.

Samuel Hall (TextilesinPractice)

Samuel Hall's intriguing collection showcased an exciting and unusual mixture of materials and processes. Each sample was rich and tactile; Samuel had obviously took a very experimental approach and really pushed what he could achieve with different techniques. I am always interested in innovative ways of working with knit and was inspired by the way Samuel had evidently put a lot of work into developing and refining his ideas into final pieces; each of which showed great creativity and technical ability. 

I was also interested in the concept behind the work "contamination" and I thought the way Samuel had translated these abstract ideas into a visual format was really effective and original. Last year I began to look at different ways of approaching drawing and visual research myself and intend to continue this year. 

Another thing I noticed about Samuel's work was the colour, clean but quite vibrant and applied and balanced thoughtfully. Colour is something I sometimes struggle with so I was interested in how successfully the colour was used and translated consistently from the research to the final collection. I think the choice of colour also helps give what is a very creative collection commercial potential; putting the work into a context.

Sam Beeston (Fashion)

Attending the Manchester school of art graduate fashion show, which was overflowing with creativity and imagination, renewed my excitement for fashion.

Sam Beeston's collection was daring and unconventional. Bold and very tactile yet still refined and with a distinctive edge; the pieces combined a mixture of materials and textures with strong silhouettes. 

At the degree show I took a closer look and (having researched a bit more into his ideas) I found his collection incorporated bicycle inner tubing. This clever re-purposing of material, subtly integrated is what I found particualry inspiring. Using waste materials (or up-cycling) is something I intend to explore next year and I think Sam's collection is a really good example of how to do it. 

Menswear is a context that I have begun to find increasingly relatable to my own work. A more unconventional approach to dress and materiality is something I picked up on across the menswear collections at the degree show and I think it could be an exciting direction to take.