Junky Styling

 

This semester at university all my work seems to have been very focused on sustainability and designing with an environmental conscience. I think these are important issues for the fashion industry to tackle and I have been very inspired by some of the companies I have researched.
 
A company I came across a while ago but which really stuck in my mind when it came to considering a more sustainable model for the fashion industry is Junky Styling. Operating out of their shop in London this brand's focus is up-cycling and recycling clothing,  creating unique pieces from customers own clothing or second-hand finds.




Junky Styling up-cycled Jacket
http://www.junkystyling.co.uk/

 
As part of my research into the company I read the book produced for its 10 year anniversary, it tracks the evolution of the brand from an inspired idea to a full blown business. It also shows past collections, one of my favourite things about them is the way basic garments such as men's shirts can be remade in to create so many different garments in so many styles. Once you know that the dresses below are made from shirts you can see all the different elements, the collars, buttons and sleeves, but if you didn't know they still look like interesting, classy dresses. 
 

Junky Styling Catwalk
http://sustainablethimble.wordpress.com/tag/recyclable-fashion/ 

 
 
I love the idea that worn out, old clothing can be remade into something new and beautiful; given a whole new life and cherished by someone else. I think the reuse of existing materials, and so the reduction in the use of new raw materials is an important aspect of creating a more environmentally sound fashion industry.
 
 

My Website

To see more of my work take a look at my newly updated website:
http://graceharding3.wix.com/gracehardingfashion

Berlin: Wilfried Pletzinger

I've spent the last week traveling around Europe as part of a charity hitchhike, we managed to blag our way to Berlin which is an amazing city full of history, street art and quirky shops. 




Wilfried Pletzinger AW12/13


Wandering around the city we found a little shop called Wilfried Pletzinger selling up-cycled clothes. The focus of the company is customised sportswear, sweatshirts became harem pants while football shirts are made into dresses giving old clothes a new lease of life.


As part of a slow fashion project at university I have been looking into ways garments can be made to last longer, one way of doing this is by reinventing clothes that have become damaged of outdated. Creating something new that can be loved by someone else.

My favourite pieces in the shop were these dresses because of the way they combined bold, bright sportswear with softer fabrics and shapes to create a romantic, feminine garment. I also loved the tops that were made into trousers because of the way they challenged how garments should be worn.


Sustainability in fashion is something I'm really passionate about and seeing up-cycling in practice, being used to make exciting and innovative clothing was really inspiring. It showed that sustainable fashion doesn't have to be about hemp and hippies but can be colourful, fun and interesting.

Tribal Instinct III

Last weekend was the incredible Leeds University Union East African Society fashion show; Tribal Instinct III. I was lucky enough to be involved, creating two outfits as part of a Collection by Leeds University fashion students.

The show itself was amazing displaying the best aspects of East African culture; dance, music and fashion all coming together in aid of Tumaini Children’s Home, a Kenyan charity which supports destitute children with education, food and clothes.

Photo by Salmon Media Collective (@_Salmonmedia on twitter)

The starting point for the collection was the vibrant nature of East African culture, especially the broad range of bold colours and patterns used in native fabrics (see my Pinterest for the inspiration board).  In my outfits I wanted the focus to be on the patterns on the fabric so I decided to keep the designs of the garments quite simple, I also wanted to play with the idea of African fashion meeting British fashion so I decided to combine the African fabrics with traditional western garments to create a collection with a sense of cultural fusion.


The outfits I made up can be seen below on the stand but soon I'll post some pictures from the night showing them fully styled. Congratulations to the Tribal Instinct III team for hosting such an amazing night and to all the other designers that took part for their stunning work. Take a look at http://zoelipscomb.blogspot.co.uk/ to see Zoe Lipscomb's take on our collection.

Damart Thermals Project

At the beginning of this semester we started a project sponsored by thermals company Damart. They make clothing which until recently was more likely to be found in your grandma's wardrobe than your own, however, in the past couple of years they have been doing quite a lot to change their image teaming up with fashion student from London Collage of Fashion and now us at Leeds University.

Damart Styled by London Collage of Fashion student see http://www.mcgpr.co.uk/press-area/2012/05/london-college-of-fashion%e2%80%99s-brightest-stars-re-style-classic-british-brand-damart/ for more details

The aim of this project was to create garments that would appeal to a younger market that Damart's usual customer while still making the most of the fabrics thermal qualities. This meant tight base layers with interesting detailing and looser pieces that could be worn over the top, channelling a young, fun and quirky feel without alienating Damart's current customers.
I designed two Menswear pieces, a top with gathered sleeves  and a pair of leggings with a draped over-skirt.

 

 After several weeks pattern cutting and prototyping  I started making up my garments in cream Damart fabric with contrasting red stitching. So far the top is finished and hopefully tomorrow I will complete the leggings. I'll be posting again soon hopefully showing another finished piece, until then it would be great to know what you think of the top. Would you wear it? Does it change your opinion of thermals?