Eroded Nostalgia

The collection draws inspiration from the nostalgic charm of coastal living and cherished childhood memories associated with the beach. I have then contrasted these positive recollections with more serious implications of coastal life, such as loss of homes due to coastal erosion and water pollution. I chose this subject to raise awareness on environmental decline along the coast. Within my work I’ve used all natural yarns, some of which were hand spun by local residents. all the yarn has been dyed by me using flowers, berries and nuts found on Overstrand beach and all the buttons and charms were also collected objects found either on the beach or in charity shops. The collection was also fully fashioned meaning it was completely zero waste.

Process

My grandmother taught sewing for many years, which piqued my interest in tailoring and fashion. I pursued an art foundation with a focus on fashion, where I began to develop my personal style. Over the years, while completing a degree in fashion knitwear and working at A3 Knit, a swatch company, I have honed my skills using both Dubied and domestic machines, and mastered pattern cutting and precise calculations for fully fashioned garments. During this time, my personal tastes in aesthetics and colour have also evolved. During my placement, I learned how to push the machines to create more complex surface designs— I continued to explore this throughout my final year. I have gravitated towards simpler silhouettes and thicker gauges, allowing me to fully fashion all my designs and incorporate more complex stitches.