DESIGNER Q+A MEET CLASS OF 2020 GRADUATE AMELIA HUGHES - GFF TALENT WITH A PASSION FOR FASHION
Class of 2020 have had a challenging start to their careers! With a disrupted final term and the usual launchpads swept from under their feet by the COVID pandemic, it has been a year like no other!
Amelia Hughes was selected by Graduates Fashion Weeks, GFF Talent. The complexity of her work shouts from the online illustrations and photography submitted. Her work encompasses Textile design, print, knit and embroidery, and pattern making. As a student at Bournemouth she is also fully conversant with digital technologies where students have access to CAD including CL03D and Lectra pattern design, Digital print and knitting.
Now tooled with the skills for Fashions digital future Amelia is looking forward to a successful and creative career in the Fashion industry. In conversation with Amelia Hughes:
What inspired you to choose a creative career?
From a young age I have always enjoyed art and experimenting with drawings and paints. This enjoyment extended through my school years to photography, cooking, textiles and fine art. At school the subjects I enjoyed most were always the creative ones. They were the most satisfying because you could take a grain of an idea and transform it into a finished concept using your unique creative mind. My parents always told me follow a career you love, and can spend a lifetime doing. And for me that could only be a creative career.
Where did you train and when did you decide to study fashion?
I have just graduated from Arts University Bournemouth in Fashion Design. Before this I attended Portsmouth Sixth Form College, where I studied ‘A’ levels in Textiles, Film Studies and Fine Art. It was during this time I had my first internship at Zandra Rhodes, and this was the exact point at which I knew I wanted to study Fashion. I was totally mesmerised by their use of textiles and how they transformed them to create gorgeous fashion garments. The beautiful screen prints and embroidery created in front of me fuelled my love for textiles, and I fell in love with the day to day working life of the industry.
Which sectors of the Fashion Industry interest you most?
The sector in which I am most interested in is textiles. Fabric manipulation is my passion. I particularly enjoy dyeing fabrics, screen printing, embroidery and beading. I also really enjoy knitwear because this allows me to create the fabric myself. For my graduate collection I completed the textiles brief, this meant that every fabric had to be fully manipulated.
I also enjoy the pattern cutting process as this is the beginning stage of transforming your designs from paper to garment.
Tell us about your Graduate collection which designs stands out and why?
The concept of my Graduate collection was how the energy of paint can reflect the bold architecture of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks. The initial inspiration of my project came from a family photograph taken at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park in 2004, which captured indigenous Aborigines with painted body art. During my design development, I looked at how I could demonstrate structured and deconstructed silhouettes. I used the architecture of Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. Two of my designs which exhibit both factors, is the Deconstructing Skirt and the Neoprene Jacket. Both were designed and pattern cut to look a certain way. With strict organised panels that almost seem like a sculpting design, the garments drape and textiles gave a deconstructing finish. My collection has evolved into a very colourful vibrant lineup, with the bold colour palate and textured materials the outfits all stand out on their own.
Tell us about your style? What inspires you and why?
Textures and colour play a major part in my work. My use of colour evolves from the concept development stage and is thoroughly explored and analysed. I also find great inspiration in architecture and this often translates into the designing and pattern cutting of my garments. I believe that my working style has evolved through the contradiction in my personal style. I mostly have a monochrome wardrobe. I think this motivates me to push myself with colour pallets and always allows me to look at the use of strong colour balance with fresh eyes.
Did you have adequate access to software and printing technology whilst at University?
Yes, at AUB we were able to access CLO 3D and LECTRA for pattern cutting and designing. We also had great access to the dye room, digital hub, digital embroidery suite and the knit-room. Access to these allowed me to enhance my textile work and fully develop my final processes. They provide the students with the opportunity to experiment with their project concepts to their full potential. A lack of access to these printing technologies would not have given me the opportunity to create my final collection.
Were you taught about circular design and how do you design sustainably?
We were taught about the importance of circular design and sustainability and this informed our dissertations and marketing reports. Being a textiles fashion designer, I am aware of the high waste in the textile industry and its unsustainable effect on the environment. This is something we as in industry can overcome, by working on new and improved methods, in recycling and upcycling materials. You can also design in a sustainable way by ensuring there is zero waste, with products that are of a high quality, providing a long-life span, enduring use and care.
How do you use technology? How has Photoshop changed the creativity of the designer’s day and why?
I am quite a digital person, so technology features a great deal in my working process and I have a certificate in Adobe Photoshop design. I have always used Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign for my creative work. All Adobe softwares are a great tool for all artistic and innovative work. This can range from creating repeated prints, to touch ups on professional photographs, to drawing a fully animated illustration. Photoshop can provide designers with a professional finish to their projects. I also think for those who only work digitally, it provides the tools for them to create their masterpieces. The more time you spend on Adobe softwares the more knowledge and tool techniques you learn within the program.
Digital printing has democratised print allowing the designer to print for themselves, how do you see this evolving over the next few years?
I think this is a wonderful tool for individual style and creativity. It allows the designer to create their own prints and looks based on their conceptual designs. I feel this will increase the number of designers in the industry, creating more competition and more choice for the consumer. It will also give new designers a chance to exhibit their work and product more readily. However, with the ability to print your own patterns more freely, it provides designers with the opportunity to copy another’s work and interpret it as their own.
Top Tip for the graduates of 2021, how to get ahead and grow your creativity?
My advice would be to continually grow and develop your portfolio, to embrace as many projects as you can and to collaborate with other creatives. A way of getting ahead is to enter as many graduate competitions as you can, as winners can gain prestige from the experience. Also, only apply for the jobs you see yourself excelling in or where you can further your learning. Whatever you go on to do, make sure you love and enjoy every minute, and your work will speak for itself.
What’s next for Amelia – and where would you like to see yourself in 10 years’ time?
I am currently working on my portfolio, but there is so much to learn in the fashion industry which only comes with experience. I would love to be exposed to a range of fashion practices, so I can broaden my knowledge and work for a company or companies I admire. In ten years’ time I would like to be working for the big luxury fashion houses. So much can be learnt from these designers with their own branded styles. To be able to work with them and develop my skills with such amazing companies would be my dream. When I started University I had a very low skill set in sewing, I cannot imagine how much I could grow under the wing of such talented designers.
