Introducing BA Womenswear student Seokwoo Lee, Fashion Textiles: Embroidery student Amelia Potts and FDA Cordwainers Footwear Design student Ayako Tsunemoto, as part of our Class of 2015 blog series. We caught up with them to find out about what it was like to collaborate with each other on their final catwalk collection.
Womenswear by Seokwoo Lee, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear. Textiles by Amelia Potts, BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles: Embroidery. Photographer: James Rees , Creative Direction: Rob Phillips, Hair: Ezana Ové, Beauty: Kirsty Gaston
LCF News: Where are you from?
Seokwoo Lee: I am from South Korea (Seoul)
Amelia Potts: Carlton, a little village in Bedfordshire.
Ayako Tsunemoto: Japan
LCF News: Give us one interesting fact about yourself…
SL: I have lived in many different countries (Korea, China, Japan, Singapore and UK) and this has given me a taste of different cultures and really inspired me when it comes to fashion.
AP: I can play the Saxophone
LCF News: What do you love about what you do?
SL: I love the silhouette and proportion of garments from my collection. During the design process, I wanted to make it as one collection and try hard to maintain the balance of each looks.
AP: Having the freedom to explore and be creative in lots of different ways.
AT: I love to use perspex in an interactive way with design and function.
LCF News: Talk us through your final collection…
AP: It’s a collaboration with womenswear student Seokwoo Lee where we explore how clothing can be used to suppress personality, using lots of layering and wrapping. I’ve used embroidery to add an element of energy and roughness to the collection that maybe you wouldn’t expect, which creates a contrast with Seokwoo’s style. I think it’s an interesting and fun collaboration that I hope people will respond to.
AT: My final collection is called Shoemanity 2.0 which is derived and inspired from the sociological concept of Humanity 2.0 by Steve Fuller who argues about what a ‘normal’ human is, as we enhance our capacities by technology. He said Humanity 2.0 is the understanding of the human condition that no longer takes the normal human body as given. I was inspired by this and decided to question what is the next level of ‘normal’ for shoes. I’m not talking about futuristic shoes, but actually more about the continuity of classic shoes. I researched classic shoes and the inspirational historical image of human enhancements such as prosthesis.
LCF News: What is the story behind your final piece of work?
AP: It’s not so much a story as the product of lots of experimentation, play and hard work coming together.
SL: My concept was inspired by the film ‘White Ribbon’ by Michael Haneke which is about German society in 1930. The mood and fashion in the film was so inspirational to me. I focused on the moderation and madness of the era and tried to reflect this through my collection.
AT: My theme actually started from my observation of how much time people spend on their smart phones, checking Facebook, Instagram, and News. It’s really everywhere! Then I started thinking about a time where people can’t live without technology.
LCF News: What techniques or theories did you use to create your final piece of work?
SL: For my project I concentrated on the idea of the silhouette. I used menswear block to create oversized garments but through many toiles I made it suitable for women to wear.
AP: The final pieces for the collection are very labour intensive; I hand dyed all the yarns, ropes and materials so that the colours would be cohesive throughout the entire collection.
AT: Hand molding for perspex. It’s so hard to shape appropriately to fit around the foot.
Womenswear by Seokwoo Lee, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear. Textiles by Amelia Potts, BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles: Embroidery. Footwear by Ayako Tsunemoto, FDA Cordwainers Footwear: Product Design and Innovation Photographer: James Rees , Creative Direction: Rob Phillips, Hair: Ezana Ové, Beauty: Kirsty Gaston
LCF News: What’s the best thing about LCF?
SL: Teaching how we can approach to design process from concept and how to make it into real.
AP: I’ve really enjoyed being able to collaborate with people from different cultural and social backgrounds, it creates a much richer experience as everyone’s approaching things from a different perspective. Taking part in extra curricular competitions and opportunities that LCF offer has been great too.
AT: The amount of footwear related books.
LCF News: Have you undertaken any work experience or done a placement whilst at LCF?
SL: I worked for Lucas Nascimento for one season as an intern making pattern and garments for a collection. After the internship I worked as a freelance pattern cutter there for another season.
AP: I interned for Phiney Pet during the second year of my course, which I got through fashionworkie.com by emailing them a cv and cover letter. The biggest take-away was seeing the commitment and conviction that’s needed to make it in this industry.
SL: I really learnt how the fashion industry works and what we really need to be real fashion designer
AT: I did an internship at Kei Kagami during the summer. His collection at the time had architectural heels which were made of metal. They needed extremely calculated measurements, right to the second decimal point, so I had to be very precise, it was really hard but such a good experience.
LCF News: Have you met or been inspired by any speakers from the industry whilst at LCF?
SL: I went to a conference involving Erdem which was all about the fashion industry as a whole and it was a great experience to hear from a designer who is so successful.
AP: I was inspired by Grayson Perry when he came to speak at LCF last year; his work manages to be so modern and progressive whilst using a traditional craft. I find that contrast very interesting.
LCF News: Describe your work in five words…
SL: Minimal, pragmatic silhouette for women
AP: Expressive, free, tactile, playful, aleatoric.
AT: Contemporary, clean, experimental, irregular, Japanese
LCF News: What inspires you?
SL: I love to see exhibitions about photography for inspiration and I am really inspired by films which have a unique mood and story because they help me to create a concept.
AP: Jean Michael Basquiat and De Kooning, listening to Broken Social Scene, and of course my friends.
AT: Art. Both visually and conceptually.
LCF News: What advice would you give to someone wanting to study your course?
SL: Based on my personal experiences, people who achieve high quality of design are people know what they want to express through the collection with their own taste. With that in mind make sure you know what kind of designer you want to be.
AP: Be prepared to work really hard but to also have fun and meet wonderful people. Living in London is incredible; everything is there to take advantage of so make sure you get out there and see new things.
AT: I think it’s good to have an interest in non fashion subject to be inspired and be creative.
- Meet more of the Class of 2015
- The students’ collection in New York Times’ Ones to Watch
- Amelia and Seokwoo’s work will be shown at the BA15 Catwalk on 8th June. Watch the livestream
- BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles: Embroidery
- BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear
- BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear Design: Product Design and Innovation
- Join in on #LCFBA15
- All about LCF BA15 on our channel