Samson Soboye/WSA Collaboration

A selection of Year 2 Knitwear for Fashion student work went on sale in Soboye’s Shoreditch based boutique during London Fashion Week last week and at the Colour Walk exhibition at Old Spitalfields Market, London.

Work-In-Progress Fashion Show 2018

A selection of mid-year designs created by Year 3 Fashion Design and Knitwear for Fashion Design students.

   

Hannah Franks                                   Abigail Skrentny

   

Anna Bateman                                      Madi Weight

Knitwear for Fashion graduate Hannah Brabon featured on Not Just a Label

WSA final year Knitwear for Fashion student Hannah Brabon has been featured on Not Just a Label as part of their Black Sheep round up, highlighting new creative talents.

Hannah Brabon Graduae Collection

You can read the full article here https://www.notjustalabel.com/designer/hannah-brabon

Congratulations Hannah!

Knitwear student, Hannah Brabon awarded prize from The Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters

Final year knitwear student, Hannah Brabon was recently awarded the HATRA Bursary of £2500 by The Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters. 
After being interviewed by a panel of judges; presenting work and answering technical questions, she was selected as one of 14 winners in the country. As well as the bursary Hannah is being mentored by Peter White who visited recently to see how her work is progressing and give business and interview/portfolio advice.
Hannah’s graduate collection focusses on the detrimental impacts that the textiles industry has on the environment looking specifically at images of water polluted by dye and ink waste, as well as how this effects the surrounding communities. Her colour palette has developed from own photographs of landscapes ranging from acid washed denim to dark indigo tones of blue, as well as hints of pinks, lavender purple and mint green. The textural qualities of natural forms such as water and mountains inspired the sense of pattern, line and shape throughout the fabrics.

Hannah Brabon Portfolio page

Hannah aim to create a luxury sportswear inspired women’s knitwear collection of outfits that are innovative and forward thinking, using denim fabrics and yarns in combination with other sustainable and high quality materials in order to create a highly technical, luxury fabrics. She hopes to promote the concept of slow fashion and aims to have a low impact on the environment.

To continue the idea of clothing with a long life, Hannah initially focused on using pre-loved denim and transforming it into something new and innovative. “I am interested in the history of denim and am inspired by how denim has been a part of the lives of so many people; from a vast array of sub-cultures and classes in societies throughout the centuries. From ancient Japanese Boro textiles to present day casual wear, I am fascinated by the stories behind the clothing that people wear.”

Hannah Brabon swatches

Hannah has used many knitting techniques on a wide range of machinery; these include domestic, Dubied and Shima Seiki knitting machines across a variety of gauges, exploring intarsia, e-wrapping, weaving in, pleating and ribbing. She has also embraced hand dyeing and machine embroidery, in order to add a further depth and dimension to the fabrics. Developing on from the idea of water and preserving the landscape, she uses heat pressing techniques with plastics, resulting in a waterproofed effect.The use of heat pressing techniques with plastics, resulting in a waterproofed effect, encapsulate the idea of water and preserving the landscape.

Hannah Brobon

 

WSA Knitwear for Fashion Student Prize Winners at the Campaign for Wool Competition

Two Knitwear students, Zoe Lyne and Jessye Boulton won prize’s at the Campaign for Wool Student Hand Knit Competiton held at Artworkers Guild Hall in London during Wool Week.

The students responded to a competition brief created by Marie Wallin. Students were asked to design a series of fashion garments hand-knitted in 100% wool, or wool-rich, [more than 51% real wool] that displayed sculptural form using cabling and 3D knitting techniques in a palette which celebrated the colours of a British Autumn. Students were encouraged to incorporate other handcraft techniques such as crochet, macramé, tatting and felting. The brief asked for an exploration of scale as a means to create drama and complexity.

Sixteen final entries were judged during Wool Week by Marie Wallin, Bridgette Kelly of The Campaign for Wool Ltd, Wendy Barker ofKingston University and Polly Leonard, Founder and Editor of Selvedge Magazine who awarded a special prize to her overall preferred entry.

The second prize of £300 was awarded to Jessye Boulton from Winchester School of Art, another first-year undergraduate student. “Jessye’s design was a wonderful blend of multi-coloured yarns knitted into a collection bullion knots, creating a dramatic and eye-catching, almost carpet-like in its structure and very impressive as a garment.”

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Using the colours of Autumn as her starting point Jessye created a highly textured garment using Spring stitch to mimic the natural complexity of the forest floor and to celebrate the quality of the pure wool yarns she used.  Jessye secured yarn sponsorship from Cornish Organic Wool and LoveKnitting.com which enabled her to create a dense and luscious final piece.

A special award of a 3-year subscription to Selvedge Magazine was given to Zoe Lyne of Winchester School of Art. Polly Leonard, the editor of Selvedge Magazine was instantly drawn to this “dramatic design of a mass of crochet tubes worked into a very imaginative wearable neckpiece or collar.”

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Zoe was inspired by the notion of an organic shape engulfing the wearer for her design.  Imagining knitwear as an extension of the body Zoe constructed the garment to obscure the face with a series of sculptural tube-like forms that form the collar.

The garment was hand-knitted in natural undyed British and Merino wool specifically to subtly draw attention to the natural irregularities in the yarn. Constructing the sculptural collar in Dartmoor lambswool, supplied by Lily Warne Wool, was a nod to Zoe’s Devon heritage.

Congratulations to Jessye and Zoe!

Knitwear for Fashion alumni Victoria Jones featured on Not Just A Label’s ‘Black Sheep’

Graduate knitwear designer Victoria Jones has been showcased as part of Not Just A Label’s ‘Black Sheep’ feature. NJAL selects designers they feel are “especially innovative, pioneering and striking in their work.”

Victoria Jones NJAL feature

Her final womenswear collection Psychedelic Furs is focused around the question of ‘What is bad taste?’ Directed around 1970s playful interiors, the seventies is often described as the decade taste forgot. Victoria plays on the idea of ugliness and how individuals perceive it. William Eggleston, Larry Sultan and Stephen Shore are among the American photographers she took inspiration from as well as old home interior design books by Terrance Conrad.

From the imagery she has drawn on colour, texture and pattern and directed them into knits, using mohair and furry yarn to create interesting knitwear evocative of shag pile rugs and contrasting checks. Dying her own yarn and fabric has enabled her to create a vibrant contemporary colour palette that is balanced across the collection.

Read more here

Featuring the work of Knitwear for Fashion graduate Phoebe Wang

Recent Knitwear for Fashion graduate, Phoebe Wang, joined us in her second year from Dalian, China. In her two years here she has honed her individual, colourful and experimental approach to Knitwear Design culminating in an exciting graduate collection for Menswear.

Phoebe Wang’s collection was inspired by fairytales and her personal childhood experiences. “I felt very lonely when I was small, I had working parents and few people to really care about me. I was extremely quiet, but I like drawing, I found that I could express my thoughts with my colourful marker pens”.

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“I think like me, there are some children or grownups who are different, in some people’s eyes we may be weird. But we have a wonderful world in our mind. I think everyone should have a place in their mind even as they grow older… Children always think the best of people, they can easily forget their pain by having a lollipop. I want everyone to stay positive, to stay like a child.”

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Designed for men Phoebe’s knitwear collection contains a spectacular array of pattern, texture and colour that capture a dream-like trippy realm. Designs such as COMME des GARÇONS Rei Kawakubo have inspired Phoebe to express her imaginary world and to put it into some sort of context. “To me Kawakubo is not only a fashion designer but an artist, she has always followed the beat of her own drum, both commercially and creatively.”

It is her parents, however, who have had the largest impact on Phoebe’s choice of career and drive to create “they have encouraged me to pursue my dreams since I was a kid, they told me the importance of hard working, so when I decide to do something, I will never give it up. I think this what makes me as a person and as a designer.”

Phoebe Wang Press Fashion Show - Vogue.co.uk

Phoebe was awarded the Nancy Balfour Award for excellence at the WSA Degree Show. After the summer she will be starting her MA in Knitwear at the Royal College of Art. She will definitely be one to watch in the future!

Winchester Degree Show opens tomorrow!

WSABA

Winchester School of Art
Park Avenue,
Winchester SO23 8DL

Private View:
Friday 10th June 18:00–20:00 (Reception 17:00–18:00)

Public Opening:
Saturday 11th June 11:00-18:00
Sunday 12th June 11:00-18:00
Monday 12th – Friday 17th June 11:00-18:00
Saturday 18th June 11:00-18:00

WSA Degree Show features student work from:
BA (Hons) Fashion and Textile Design
BA (Hons) Fashion Marketing and Management
BA (Hons) Fine Art
& BA (Hons) Graphic Arts

WSA Fashion Shows Next Tuesday 17th!

WSA GRADUATE FASHION SHOWS 17 MAY 2016
14.00 Fashion Show 1
17.00 Fashion Show 2
18.00 After Show Drinks, Portfolio Review & Meet the Designers
Please RSVP to wsa.ftd@gmail.com
WSA Fashion Show invite 2016

Sophie Steller visits WSA for industry project

Sophie Steller with WSA Students

Second year Knitwear for Fashion and Woven Textile Design students have been working on an industry project for Knitwear Design Studio Sophie Steller. The students developed designs for a past/modern collection, using drawings from museum collections as a starting point for their textile swatches. After the project review with Sophie Steller, 8 students were selected for interviews.

From Knit:
Anna Bateman
Amy Fuller
Isabel Worth
Hannah Brabon
Alice Bracken

From Weave:
Danielle Gill
Rebecca Lickley
Rebecca Moore

Sophie will be offering placements to successful interviewees.