My Story
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
The concept of my main project was derived from the lives, clothing and love story of my grandparents who were a part of the Windrush Generation. As an individual who has an appreciation for fashion; my research of their lives led me to examining in great detail the type of clothing worn within the 1940s/1950s era. I was inspired by their sustainability concept when considering the longevity, timelessness and pattern cutting developed during that time period.
A Love story found in a dress
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Our Story
My main project was derived from the lives, clothing and love story of my grandparents who were a part of the Windrush Generation. The HMT Empire Windrush was most recognised for transporting over a thousand Jamaican passengers from Jamaica to the United Kingdom following WWII. Post war Britain was in dire need of immigrant workers to rebuild their infrastructure so this created many opportunities for people from islands such as Jamaica to create a whole new life for themselves; therefore between 1949 and 1973 people from the Caribbean emigrated via boat to live and participate in this development. (BBC WEBSITE).
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As an individual who has an appreciation for fashion; my research of their lives led me to examining in great detail the type of clothing worn within the 1940s/1950s era. I was inspired by their sustainability concept when considering the longevity, timelessness and pattern cutting developed during that time period. My MA project has not only influenced me but has also given me the confidence to establish my own business and eventually fully development brand with a view to designing a range of timeless, contemporary tailored and smart wear garments aimed towards working women. Taking those same sustainability concepts used in the 1940s/1950s and remodelling them into something that is modern and appealing the to this decade’s career woman.
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Design Responsibility and Sustainability
When researching within the ideas of home dressmaking from books such as The culture of sewing gender, consumption and home dressmaking by Burman, Barbara, what was the discovered was the lost culture of home dressmaking.
As my project and brand is inspired by home dressmaking and the community of women during post war Britain that would come together to make their own clothing. Looking at home dress and producing a garment yourself gives a sense of “who I am” The study of home dressmaking is a significant culture activity for countless women but is still only seen within a marginal percentage of people today. (Burman and Barbara, 1999)