Francesca Prudente, Lauren T Franks, Ellen Chatelain, Textile Design BA(Hons) Chelsea College of Art & Design
This year music and art festival Latitude invited Chelsea College of Art & Design’s Textile Design BA(Hons) graduates to take part in a fashion show at this year’s festival taking place in Suffolk at Henham Park between Thursday 15th and Sunday 18th July.
The show itself took part at the idyllic Waterfront Stage, placed upon the bank of the lake that’s within the park. The models that strutted their stuff on the stage were all courtesy of Elite London, whose talent scouts were also around the festival looking for the next top model.
Each collection from the graduates brought a various different feel and aesthetic to the show. Francesca Prudente brought us her collection entitled ‘The Childish Moral Dilemma Over The Killing Of A Spider’, which focused on psychological phobias by showcasing strait-jacket esque pieces that were the physical representation of the conscience.
Lauren T Franks ‘Into The Woods’ collection fused modern print with dyed wooden embellishment, giving the collection a bright modern gypsy/traveller look, that draws inspiration from folklore. Ellen Chatelain brought us an out of this world range of eclectic patterned and vibrant knitted jumpsuits with her collection ‘And They Came From Outer Space’, drawing inspiration from magazines during the space race era.
Sorcha Herbet, Sophie Parker, Charmaine Dresser, Textile Design BA(Hons) Chelsea College of Art & Design
Sorcha Herbet brought a burst of colour to the collection with a collection based on wildlife, showcasing knitted jackets and form fitting dresses, all in a bright eclectic variety of colours. Sophie Parker’s collection ‘Through Our Eyes’, is based on the idea of characters and soul and used a variety of fabrics, such as linen and wool, bringing a fun collection to the summer festival.
Charmaine Dresser, brought loose floating dresses down the run way with burnt orange and tie dye effect patterns onto the garments, which flowed beautifully in the soft wind.
Bethan Smith, Shawana Grovesnor, Bethan Smith, Textile Design BA(Hons) Chelsea College of Art & Design
Bethan Smith, brought a large injection of life and creativity into the show with her collection ‘Life Bringers’. Based on Native American dress and Kachina dolls, the collection showcased two bizarrely wonderful pieces that encapsulated the models, with only their legs showing out the bottom of these wonderful art pieces.
Shawana Grovesnor’s collection ‘White Set’ focused primarily on the colour white and the form and shape of the garments, creating sheer jumpsuits and maxi skirts in a simplistic yet wonderful collection.
The festival turned out to be a weekend of music, poetry, comedy and all things art related, pulling in 30,000 people to see the event.
Image credits: photography by Daniel Sims
