My collection highlights my experience of growing up as mixed race, and to represent the surroundings, people, places and histories that have shaped who I am as a young woman of English, Indian and African heritage. It explores the clash and integration of cultures, and reflects on how I have held onto my heritage through objects and memories, especially the African memorabilia in my grandparents home and the connections between countryside life with modern sub-cultures.As someone whose identity is often judged on my appearance, and all the stereotypical assumptions made on the basis of my skin and hair colour, I feel passionately about reclaiming this narrative through story telling and texture in my designs. It is an expression of what’s beneath the surface –visually representing identity , displacement/migration and tradition and heritage. It reflects the blend of cultures, histories, environments and identities that have shaped who I am and follows my roots of heritage/routes from my countryside surroundings.