MA15 exhibition shows off wealth of LCF graduate talent

The MA15 exhibition, dedicated to displaying the work of the graduating Masters degree students, a variety of different practitioners within the scope of fashion, opened on 17^th February. The exhibition will be held until the 22^nd February open to all at the Victoria House Basement in Holborn.

As the show is a platform for different practitioners within the scope of fashion there is a broad range of things to gaze upon, from fashion design to entrepreneurial projects…

Photo: Emmi Hyyppä (MA Fashion Photography) www.emmihyyppa.com

The gallery space is an underground maze acting as a site for undiscovered works of fashion; dark lights and new findings around every corner kept the experience exciting and intriguing. This year the MA students have definitely shown their worth through bold, refined ideas, highly advanced skill and their courage to take fashion into new, unseen areas.

MA Costume Design for Performance students’ designs, as portrayed in their films, made sure to entertain and intrigue. ‘The Love of Three Pomegranates’ by Martina Montorfani showed the magic of a fabric made pomegranate turning into a beautiful dress, uncovering the woman beneath it. ‘Piecework’ by Bronya Arciszewska showed a man pulling apart a garment to many layers and turning it into something beautiful and sculpture-like. A few pieces by Daphne Karstens were also on show, allowing visitors to witness the great craftsmanship of the garments.

Fashion photography was conceptual, glossy, printed large and impossible to miss. MA Fashion Photography student Anna Radchenko’s work seemed to focus more on the message behind the image, expressing aspects of society, whilst other students like Eliška Kyselková were more editorial in their approach. However, printed work was not the only format. MA Fashion Photography student Athena Thoma had worked with projecting onto plaster cast while Nirma Madhoo projected film onto cardboard boxes for ‘The Future Body’.

Photo: Emmi Hyyppä (MA Fashion Photography) www.emmihyyppa.com

MA Fashion Artefact graduates created some really unique pieces for MA15, including delicate, metal clutch bags by Maria Sokolyanskaya that exuded luxury and glamour. Isabel Helf also designed bags but concentrated on the ergonomic aspects.

“I designed these bags around the relationship between a space saving attitude and the compulsion for orderliness. My bags have many compartments and can also fit around furniture.”

Work by Isabel Helf, MA Fashion Artefact. Photo: Emmi Hyyppä (MA Fashion Photography) www.emmihyyppa.com

Isabel’s compartment fittings for iPhones and iPads were just the beginning of the exhibition’s influence from the ever-growing technological world.

Zoe Jia- Yu Dai from the MA Fashion Footwear course designed her shoes using 3D printing:

“I designed the shoes on the computer and then printed them with nylon powder, I even created the designs to emboss my leather with.”

She believes that 3D printers will become more important in the fashion industry, making mass and batch production a lot easier and more precise. It certainly seems that 3D printing will be encouraged more and more at LCF in the coming years as course leaders keep encouraging fresh innovation.

Work by Zoe Jia-Yu Dai, MA Fashion Footwear. Photo: Emmi Hyyppä (MA Fashion Photography) www.emmihyyppa.com

Fashion is constantly moving forward, whether through technology or through breaking the boundaries aesthetically, ergonomically or socially. The MA students of London College of Fashion are great pioneers of this, and their works are great examples of talent and dedication. We wish them all good luck as they step into their careers and have no doubt that they will all excel in whichever field they choose to go.

Written by Ruyi Meer, MA Fashion Media Practice and Criticism

• Read more about LCF MA15 on LCF News
• Read more MA15 Graduate Spotlights
• #LCFMA15 on Twitter
• Visit the MA15 Exhibition between 18th-22nd February