LCF’s MA15 season continues this week as we focus on graduates from the MA Fashion Design Technology Menswear course. The selected students will be showcasing their collections at LCF’s first ever stand alone MA Menswear Catwalk show at 11am Friday 9th January which will be live streamed on the LCF Channel.
First up is Emma Fenton Villar who discusses her British made, customisable collection, her future plans and her advice for potential MA Menswear students.
LCF News: Tell us about your final collection?
Most of us have become compliant consumers displaying minimal interaction with our clothes. Today we can encounter others wearing the exact same garments offered by brands and chain stores selling the same choice of products. We are losing our sense of individuality.
In commissioning a British weaving mill I have worked to develop a denim textile. The surface design incorporates a repeated curve with wool yarn floats (fabric layers on the surface of the garment) that can be cut to personalise the garment to which it is applied. Cutting off the floats encourages an intuitive and free approach to design; it allows wearers of any skill the ability to participate in realising the final look of the garment. When cut, the floats become frayed-like fringes creating a deconstructed aesthetic similar to the natural behavior of frayed denim fabric. Customising the garment has the potential to be an ongoing experience with further cutting of floats, thereby changing the appearance of the garment over time.
My collection aims to consolidate my practice as a designer and serve as a catalyst for further projects in co-creative design development as a sustainable practice. It aims to offer new solutions to the experience of personalising and co-creating garments. Wearers are offered a voice in the design process and the designer’s role strategically motivates product development without exclusive control of the final result, allowing both wearers and designers to share and create together.
LCF News: Where did you study prior to your MA at LCF?
I studied BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear at LCF.
LCF News: What are your future plans?
It would be exciting to confirm sponsorship or an opportunity to show with one of London’s initiatives for emerging designers, like Fashion East or New Gen so that I could continue creating menswear collections and develop my own label. But I am equally excited to explore the opportunities offered in the industry by established brands and companies that I have aspired to design for. Essentially I want to continue gaining experience in developing product so that I can progress as a designer and achieve my best potential in the craft.
LCF News: How do you think the course will help you to realise these plans?
Studying on the course has taught me resilience, I have had to balance multiple projects and maintain employment whilst also creating the MA collection. The experience has developed my skills and the characteristics relevant to succeeding in the industry.
LCF News: What advice would you give to anyone considering studying an MA at LCF?
Prepare yourself as much as possible, gain industry experience and contacts that will help support you through developing the collection. Approach the course with an open mind, enjoy opportunities for collaboration and the exchange of ideas with your peers but also remain true to yourself and your vision.
More:
- Read more about LCF MA15 on LCF News
- Read more MA15 Graduate Spotlights
- #LCFMA15 on Twitter
- Watch the MA Menswear Catwalk live at 11am GMT on Friday 9th January
- MA Fashion Design Technology Menswear
- Follow Emma on Twitter and Instagram