Middlesex BA Fashion 2014

The Middlesex BA show saw 22 students present their final collections in a mix of heavy duty prints, larger-than-life volumes and sculptural headwear. From the school that claims to have no “gag reflex” when it comes to design, Dazed fashion editor Emma Wyman selects her favourites from a show brimming with next-gen talent.

MARIE MAISONNEUVE

Initial reaction:

Fashion pilgrims wandering the land; an amalgamation of contrasting fabrics, volumes and textures made from second hand or pre-existing materials.

Inspiration:

A trip to Morocco contrasted against lavish and ostentatious Christian iconography. The collection tells the story of a young man who leaves his corporate life in search of peace amongst a more pared down existence, with rolls of fabric harnessed over his shoulders and a headpiece reminiscent of Jesus’ crown of thorns.

Hidden details:

A harness bralet of fraying yarn, a stark white lasercut Anglaise tunic made from industrial sacks and a pair of ‘upcycled’ overalls bound together with raw, pre-used string, all bought new meaning to old, discarded bits of fabric.

ORION FACEY

Initial reaction:

Deconstructed fabrics became a mutation of different items; hats became masks and jackets dissolved into shirts.

Inspiration:

Paying homage to the transgender community, Facey was inspired by mistranslation and data corruption, and how the inability to translate something can ultimately be turned into a source of creativity and new expression.

Innovation:

Taking banal, mass-produced items of clothing like the men’s shirt and the trenchcoat and ‘glitching’ them until their original purpose becomes diminished and bestows upon them a new function while breaking down gender boundaries.

BONNIE BOWLEY

Initial reaction:

Neon tinged prints conjure up Sofia Coppola’s 2003 film Lost in Translation, where lovers meet at midnight and escape in the early hours wearing a mixture of his and hers.

Inspiration:

Bowley was inspired by Duane Michals' photoset ‘Sad Farewell’ as well as the Wong Kar Wai films, Chungking Express (1994) and In The Mood For Love (2000). Bringing it back to British shores she looked towards the infamous neon artworks of Tracey Emin, Tim Noble and Sue Webster.

Stand out looks:

Oversized, deconstructed jackets with bauble-looking billow sleeves that were pieced together with oversized corsetry-inspired eyelets, ribbons of organza and patchworks of glitter cotton drill.