ABOVE: A sneaky peek of whats to come in this post!  Designs by Jayne Bristow, Sinead McCahey and Krystyna Scullion.

If you’ve read my previous posts you’ll know that last Wednesday night (1st of June) I went to the University of Ulster Fashion show.  This event showcases garments made by 1st, 2nd and final year fashion and textiles students as well as accessories from jewelery and silver-smithing students.

Check out my previous post –

 https://belfash.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/university-of-ulster-fashion-show-2011/

for my pick of the 1st and 2nd year students designs.   All the other pictures are up on my facebook page :).

In this post I want to look at the three final year designers whose work was most interesting to me.  Each designers’ collection is really different but they all caught my eye enough for me to sneak upstairs and check out their work in more detail!

1.  Krystyna Scullion – KID K

KID K is a fun, quirky collection based around the feeling of nostalgia stemming from childhood memories.  Krystyna has amalgamated the memories of her childhood past with her designs for the future.  A bright, playful colour palette and bold cartoon imagery blend together in this collection and the end result is the perfect balance between adult attitude and childhood inspiration.

Below is the colour palette used in ‘KID K’

Pictures from the fashion show and illustrations:

This was the first outfit of Krystyna’s collection, as soon as the model came onto the catwalk my mum and I looked at each other like :O wow!  It was completely different to anything we had seen yet on the night, really fresh and original.

Below is the illustration that this outfit came from (sorry for the bad quality image!)

I love the way Krystyna has used popular silhouettes from her childhood such as leggings and dungarees which were big in the 90s.  I really like the print on this cardigan and the colours used, the detailing such as the big bright button and the little yellow neck ribbon are beaut.

The illustration:

 

 

Amazing outfit – love the ‘K’ ‘I’ ‘D’ rings and the jacket.  I reeeeaally wanted to get the shoes in to the picture aswell they were bright yellow and blue platforms!  Alas, I’m not blessed with tallness so I couldn’t get them.

Illustration (cute!):

and finally, the designer with her model:

Overall I thought ‘KID K’ was a great graduate collection,  the designs were a breath of fresh air.   Nostalgia of childhood memories is one of my favourite feelings and Krystyna’s designs captured it perfectly.  She used inspiration from the past but created something entirely new. Good luck to her for the future! 🙂

Jayne Bristow – ‘NDEBELLE’ (pronounced Na-Belle)

Jayne Bristow’s collection ‘NDEBELLE’  is based on the eclectic mix of traditional and modern-day africa.  She took inspiration from research on African adornment and the significance it holds in African culture.  This is the key element in her collection  which she has translated into geometric shapes and patterns using print, embroidery and embellishment.

The name for her collection derives from two words: ‘Ndebele’ – an african tribe whose artwork represents each stage of their lives and the word ‘Belle’ which is the french word for ‘beauty’.

Colour palette:

Digital print: 

The colours and patterns used in this collection are SO busy but they really work,  Jayne’s collection is very on trend right now as many other designers have used African and tribal prints in their recent collections.

Pictures from the fashion show:

Gorgeous print on the cardigan, I also think this is an excellent translation of African prints for an Autumn/Winter collection as I would usually associate it with summer.

Love the printed leggings!

I think this was my favourite piece in Jayne collection, it’s so striking and the maxi dress shape it really shows off the print to it’s full extent.

and the back view..

Below:  All the models for ‘NDEBELLE’

and the designer with her model! (super blurry sorry)

Overall Jayne’s collection was really inspirational, she translated her research on African adornment into a western, Autumn/Winter collection and made totally original prints and garments.  The result is a very on trend collection!  I wish her all my best!

Sinead McCahey – ‘HYPNOSE’

Sinead McCahey is a textile design student.  Her final collection ‘HYPNOSE’ is based on freudian theories, the subconscious and what effects people’s actions and thoughts.  She drew inspiration for her imagery and drawings from these subjects as well as drawing influence from her own dreams and subconscious thought.

Below is an image of one of the prints Sinead used in her garments which was influenced by the fears/dread/happiness in her thoughts as mention before.    The imagery of the skulls and carcasses which Sinead hand-drew is juxtaposed with the floral shape.

Below is an image from the fashion show of the garment on which this print was used:

and from the back:

I love the contrast of the leather fringing and the soft, floaty silk haboutai fabric.

Below is another of Sinead’s textile prints:

 here is the garment it was used in:

And from a side angle:

As a textile design student, Sinead doesn’t have much background in pattern cutting so all of her designs were hand-stitched onto the mannequin.  The flow and continuity of the garments was an important factor to her and she researched Japanese design and their concept of being ‘one’ with a garment.  I love the way the material falls around the model.

Below is Sinead’s final design:

I loved the collar on this design, the shredding and lazer cutting within the leather was inspired by skeletal form.  I think the shape of the collar from the front looks like a spine twisted round the models neck.

Below, all the models for Sinead McCahey’s ‘HYPNOSE’ collection

I thought ‘HYPNOSE’ was a beautiful collection and I’m a big fan of  the contrasting materials and imagery, eg.  silk/leather and bones/florals.  Good luck to Sinead!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing/researching/taking photos for it!  I really want to say a big well done to everyone in the UU fashion show this year; designers, models and the people who put it all together. It was a great night showcasing some amazing work.

Remember if you want to see any of the rest of the photographs they’re up on my facebook page: BELFASH BLOGPOST. 🙂

Nuala xo.