Encapsulation

I interned at the atelier of Iris van Herpen and Sarah van der Wilk in Amsterdam for my placement year. I returned to Manchester with a new creative energy, new ideas, skills, and perspectives, and, with boxes of dried flowers. These flowers mean a lot to me - not just as dried flowers, but as memories from the past year. They remind me of the important people in my life, of sunny days and happy places, and of the simple joys of life. My collection centres around the turmoil of emerging as an adult, self-preservation, preservation of memories, stepping outside of one's comfort zone, pursuit of self-identity and the realisation of the fragility of beauty, and the embrace of the beauty within. I have come to appreciate the craftsmanship of slow-fashion processes, although widely disliked and avoided, hand stitching really appeals to me. I have spent hours meticulously hand stitching the dried flowers between layers of organza, which feature in my most-prized garment of my collection.