Graduate Directory 2020: Fashion

Xiaotu Tang London College of Fashion, UK

Tang’s accessories collection incorporates recycled packaging to propose ‘new directions for luxury goods’. Classic shapes have upcycled updates, like a bucket bag made from milk bottles or an umbrella holder formed from a stack of Diet Coke cans. Andy Warhol also provided inspiration.

Dream collaborator: Hermès
@xiaotu.t

Natalie Rushton London College of Fashion, UK

Rushton’s fluid, gender-subverting menswear collection draws on her British and Japanese heritage, referencing pictures of her grandparents from the 1950s. Suiting appears oversized in sugary tones, blousons have dandyish pussy bow collars, and silk wool halternecks are paired with pearls.

Dream collaborator: Tim Walker
natalierushton.com

Mirjami Nyman Aalto University, Finland

Inspired by dentist uniforms, Nyman’s collection features oversized, medical scrubs-toned plastic suiting, paired with plastic-swathed court shoes. ‘I like to take humorous references but produce something that is taken seriously,’ she says.

Dream collaborator: German band Easter
@mirsuke

Adam Swärd Beckmans College of Design, Sweden

To categorise fashion into male or female is to hinder creativity,’ says Swärd, whose collection includes high-waisted trousers, transparent beaded tops and asymmetric blouses. ‘No silhouettes, materials or styles are o limits,’ says the designer, citing Grace Wales Bonner as inspiration.

Dream collaborator: Tilda Swinton

Alvaro Mars IED Barcelona, Spain

‘I wanted to create something contemporary from my Spanish roots,’ says Mars, whose multi-buttoned Puritan collar coats, claret-panelled bodysuits and bulbous dresses draw on amenco culture, Baroque theatre and the sartorial heritage of 19th century Spanish couturiers.

Dream collaborator: Comme des Garçons
@alvaromarsinfo

Vanessa Agostini (pictured left) Università Iuav di Venezia, Italy

Agostini, who recently interned at Raf Simons, references Bernard Rudofsky’s 1971 book The Unfashionable Human Body in her collection, which incorporated digital printing and features ribbed knit bodysuits and oversized trousers that appear undone and fall away from the body.

Dream collaborator: Stella McCartney
@agostinivanessa

Mary Crisp (pictured above, right) Savannah College of Art and Design, US

Drawing on the mismatched interiors in her grandmother’s home, Crisp’s padded silhouettes focus on transforming the wearer into a chintzy piece of soft furniture, with dungarees and evening dresses emblazoned with oral prints, Delftware patterns and tufty fringing.

Dream collaborator: John Galliano
marycatherinecrisp.com

Elin Arvidsson Swedish School of Textiles, Sweden

Arvidsson’s collection of spliced and reformed designs, which features raw edge pyjama silhouettes and underwear dangling with loose threads, has an undone appeal. A palette of delicate pinks, beiges and creams, meanwhile, is a nod to the ‘tones of beautified femininity’.

Dream collaborator: Olafur Eliasson
elin.a_95@hotmail.com

Nensi Dojaka Central Saint Martins, UK

Dojaka’s underwear-inspired collection features mini skirts, bra tops and cycling shorts, constructed from gauzy, ruched, panelled fabrics. She says, ‘I began by collecting 1990s images that translated the mood of a poem I love, Anne Sexton’s Her Kind’. 

Dream collaborator: Melanie Ward
nensidojaka.com

Skye Gwillim Royal College of Art, UK

Gwillim’s accessories collection began with her taking photos of London commuters, some with laptop cases squeezed between their legs or juggling multiple bags. Her minimalist, hardware-free leather accessories, with body-shaped grooves, mould to and become extensions of the body.

Dream collaborator: Marianne Wex
@skyegwillim

Alex Luonto Aalto University, Finland

Referencing protective welding uniforms and A Nightmare on Elm Street, Luonto’s menswear collection features tailored jackets in slick buckled leather, shrunken mohair vests in Freddy Krueger-style red-and-black stripes, and metal embellishments formed using nails, nose hoops and key rings.

Dream collaborator: Marimekko
@alexluonto

Shinichi Haga Central Saint Martins, UK

In Haga’s suiting-focused menswear collection, volume is key; the juxtaposition of shrunken and oversized features references the 1980s Buffalo movement. High-waisted trousers nod to Japanese workwear, and handmadebelt buckles are lacquered using the urushi technique.

Dream collaborator: Henry Poole & Co.
@shinichihaga0310

Gloria Regotz Institute of Fashion Design, Switzerland

Regotz’s collection features graphic dresses cinched with belts made from computer chipboard, and a stretchy sweatshirt with two necks, to be worn by two people together. ‘I worked around this sense of being connected,’ she says. ‘Even if the wearers try, they can’t get away from each other.’

Dream collaborator: Dimitra Petsa
@gloriaregotz

Camila Fukumothi London College of Fashion, UK

Fukumothi’s jackets, coats and bags, made from a polyester and paper bre, resemble folded pieces of cardboard. ‘I’m fascinated by layering and innovative construction that emphasises shape and form,’ she says, citing Rachel Whiteread and Hussein Chalayan as inspiration.

Dream collaborator: Craig Green
@camilakfukumothi