Who will be the next Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Stella McCartney or Phoebe Philo ? Each season, this question is asked after the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design fashion shows in London that have strong media coverage. Presented mid-February during Fashion Week, the school’s Autumn-Winter 2016 catwalks focused on absolute minimalism but also the craziest maximalism, masculine-feminine approaches and unconstructed tailoring. From the viewpoint of industry professionals, this was an excellent year. The diverse, unique proposals shown included the generous laces of Lynne Searl, an MA Fashion student who was sponsored by Sophie Hallette in the context of its policy to support emerging talents. An interview with one of fashion’s future big names.
Why lace ?
“Before our project based on lace in the first year of the MA Fashion program, I’d never experimented with it. The project opened my eyes to its many possibilities and led me to test techniques not usually associated with it. I like working with contrast textures and since lace is so fine and delicate, I associated it with bonded leather and embossed vinyl in which I pierced holes to recreate the lace’s rhythm. I adored this project so much that I decided to continue experimenting with lace for my final collection! This time, I wanted to concentrate on the different weights of materials and textures. By applying circles of pleated vinyl on the lace, I succeeded in giving the fabric a strong dynamic that lent itself to shapes which would have been impossible to obtain with a single layer of lace.”
A few words about your inspirations …
“Exploring the tensions and frictions between materials and contrast shapes was the main objective of my final collection that was inspired by Barbara Hepworth’s sculptures. I was also inspired by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy’s cyanotype photographs (editor’s note : a technique for making photographic paper that results in blue images) as well as the spectacular shapes of Anish Kapoor. I’ve always been interested in the way fabrics interact with each other and how my technical experiments on textiles enhance the silhouette. I wanted to create a collection that would use the interactions between materials and techniques to create a visual impact while giving a sophisticated, subtle result.”
