After Nyne's 'Ones to Watch' Take the World of Graduate Collections By Storm
The Regent's University London end-of-year catwalk was a sensation, featuring the work of a range of visionary and expansive designers.
We were delighted to be able to meet with our two 'Ones to Watch' - Christine Smith Egeland (who designs under the name Stina Smith www.stinasmithdesign.com) and Jess Ryan - to discuss the Regent's experience, their hopes, dreams and what fashion means to them.
After Nyne Founder Claire Meadows says 'These are two very different designers...a world away from each other in terms of inspiration and background. Yet they both impressed me on a similar level with their skill and vision.
"With Jess, I immediately sensed her affinity with fabric. She's someone who appreciates it for what it is but is unafraid to explore its outer limits. Similarly unafraid is Christine - she's the most originally fearless student designer I've seen in a very long time. I'm excited to see where the next few years take them.'
Read on for this unique insight in two very different graduate collections.
Tell us a little about your backgrounds
CSE: I was born and raised in Stavanger, Norway, and as a child I was always drawn to everything art-related and loved working with my hands. I grew up with a mother who loved to sew and make clothes for my two younger brothers and I, and from a very young age I would style myself in order to developed a personal style. Through my adolescence, I found inspiration and joy in being different through the way I would dress myself, and often, I would come up with design ideas and request my mom to make it for me, and ironically I did not start sewing myself until my mom gave me a sewing machine for my 20th birthday. As I had been motivated to pursue an academic path in life, I was studying psychology at a university in Norway when I received my first sewing machine. This gift changed the course of my life drastically as I realized I loved designing and making clothes, and I started to develop a sense of aesthetics partly thanks to my own style, which is a mix of vintage and goth. Although I had never seen myself as a fashion designer or a follower of fashion trends, these influences came together in my decision to pursue a degree in fashion design.
Before coming to London, I worked a few years in order to save money for tuition fee, and during this time I began designing and making clothes for my nearest friends and family. I quickly began receiving orders from people outside my circle, and this definitively increased my confidence as well as confirming I was on the right path in life.
JR: I'm from a city in Wales called Newport. I lived there my whole life up until three years ago when I decided to move to London for university. I adjusted extremely quickly to the pace of life in London...you know you're at the centre of something extremely special when you're there. There's a force...an energy..that's extremely inspiring to me as a young designer. There's so much to be inspired by. But that in no way takes away from my background. I'm very proud of where I came from, and how it continues to inform my design process.
What inspired your love of fashion?
CSE: First of all, my understanding of fashion has changed tremendously since I first started my degree four years ago. I first fell in love with fashion when I first learned how to sew, as it gave me the power to create anything I could think of to make. However, studying fashion has given me an educated understanding of fashion and its vast importance to each individual. Being able to develop something from an unlikely idea to a finished product, by telling a story and the power to provoke new ideas are incredibly fascinating to me. Fashion, to me, is therefore more than just your personality on display. Instead, I see fashion as an art form that portrays the social norms we live in, and therefore the perfect arena to encourage change. On a different note, my love of fashion comes from creating something that is true craftsmanship, and something one can keep for decades. It is important to me to bring forth the value of a bespoke garment, seeing we live in a world where fast fashion and consumerism have taken over.
JR: As a child I loved art, and as time went on, particularly in high school, I became fascinated with fashion. How things could start as just a design and then constructed. I can pinpoint that as the moment my love of fashion started, and it's evolved, and grown over time. And will continue to.
Take us through your design process...do you start with a visual idea, or a concept?
CSE: I often start my design process with a word or a visual idea that I develop in to a concept. Research is incredibly important in my process, but I do a lot of work in my head before I start researching deeper. The ideas that come to mind will often have emotional connotations to it, which tells me if it is something I wish to pursue further. Throughout my degree, I might have been given certain themes set by the university, and as I developed conceptually I discovered that I enjoy testing social boundaries, and like with my final collection, ‘Unquiet mind’, I began my research with a variety of thoughts and ideas about being able to convey emotion as well as visual aspects that I hope will trigger emotions and deeper thinking within the viewer. Once I have gathered enough images and research, I begin collaging to set the mood for my concept, and design ideas start to form. I do a lot of visualization in my mind, and often skip the step of sketching, as I rather prefer to work on the stand in order to create shapes I would not necessarily have been able to sketch. So a combination of collaging and draping on the stand are very essential to my process. Once I have achieved enough design ideas to work from, I begin the next step of editing and playing with scale and silhouette.
JR: My design process usually starts with a couple of themes combined. I then tend to work mostly in a 3D medium, draping or toiling. For me, working in a 3D medium allows me to see how the garments I want to design are constructed and how they would look, before I actually design them.
Can you explain the titles of your collections for us, and how this is represented in the collection?
CSE: My final collection, ‘Unquiet mind’, is a conceptual collection, which is showcasing commercial pieces with avant-garde shapes, elements and ideas. This collection portrays the human psyche and the emotional aspect of anxiety as one tries to find a place in the world. It represents the idea of restriction forced upon us. One is often made to fit into a preconceived idea of how to be and how to live, in order to be perfect on all aspects of life. I have created a visual representation of these ideas as a way of observing a person’s personality characteristics and emotional functioning as well as discover fundamental thought disorders. As I have developed into a conceptual designer rather than a designer who simply wants to create beautiful pieces for the red carpet, I try to depict a thought-provoking concept, which I hope will trigger deeper thinking within the viewer. The individual pieces in my collection are varied in shape and size, including textile print and 3D elements to further portray my concept.
JR: The title Cymylau (Clouds) comes from a combination of two of the themes which inspired my collection, traditional Welsh dress, and parachutes. Parachutes were a big influence in my collection, leading to a use of circle patterns to create the voluminous rounded shaped made in the garments. The traditional Welsh dress mostly influenced the styling of my collections and the use of Welsh in the title.
How have Regent's University encouraged your development as a designer?
CSE: Regent’s University London is very design and technically driven, and I have gained all the essential skills in fashion design: patternmaking, sewing, draping, designing and fashion illustration. However, what has made me an interesting and innovative designer is the focus on conceptual design in order to create original and avant-garde fashion. Conceptual design requires a more complex level of research and reasoning, which has taught me to approach fashion in a much more interesting way. Throughout my degree, Regent’s has motivated me to explore all aspects of designing, allowing me to basically do whatever I wanted to do without being overruled by the tutors, yet there was an emphasis on being able to explain the meaning behind your work. While many people design and dress to make a statement of personality, the fundamental force of my design philosophy is an ongoing interest in our current society and the chaos of the human psyche. I believe my time at Regent’s has affected the lines between my personal life and my designs to blur, and that my designs are a visual representation of this.
JR: Regents University have been extremely encouraging in my development as a designer. Regents provided us with a fantastic collection lecturer Dahren, who always encouraged and pushed us to become better, and also a amazing sewing technician Chris, who helped to develop our technical skills. I think giving us an excellent support system was key to our development.
The graduate catwalk was packed out and got a rapturous response. What are your memories of the night?
CSE: Normally I tend to overthink and be pursued by an unquiet mind, but ironically, I remember being mostly calm and excited. I knew everything was organized and ready for the show, so I did not worry about anything. My family and closest friends from Norway had traveled to London to witness this fabulous event, and I was so excited to finally be able to reveal what I had been working on during this past year. Up until the show I kept everything a secret, and it was only my boyfriend who had seen bits and pieces of my design development, so I was incredibly anxious to see everyone’s reaction to my collection. As the show began, I could only smile and feel incredibly proud of my self and my entire class’ hard work in order to look so amazing on the catwalk. I felt very honored that my collection closed the show, and to make an amazing night even better, I was awarded the ‘Regent’s Bloomsbury Fashion Award 2016’. Standing on the catwalk while listening to the applause, I remembered how far I have come and how hard I have had to work in order to be here. It was magical.
JR: Honestly, I don't actually have that many memories from the night! As soon as my first outfit came on to the catwalk, I was overwhelmed and started crying, happy tears of course! I am looking forward to watching the film though.
Who have been, and continue to be, your inspirations?
CSE: As I look back upon my life, I remember how I have always been a strong and independent person, who was able to find her own path in life and never listened to negativity. However, being strong and capable made me different, and I remember how often I was told I was not good enough while growing up. As a result, I have always been able to find inspiration in those who have been in the same situation as myself, and those who dare to be unique and different. Dita Von teese, Kelly Osbourne, Lady Gaga, Alexander McQueen and Viktor&Rolf are all important sources of inspiration, and especially McQueen as he was an avant-garde designer with deep conceptual roots, while showcasing his most inner thoughts and ideas.
JR: When I first became interested in fashion, Alexander McQueen was one of the first designers to truly inspire me, and although it's many years later, his work still amazes me. He's timeless...even the pieces that were considered most outrageous at the time have stood the test of time. They haven't mellowed...far from it. But there's a timeless elegance, wit, drama and life to them that will never die.
You are one of After Nyne's 'Ones to Watch'. What is your advice to students thinking of fashion as a career?
CSE: Fashion design is an exciting career, but it is also exceptionally demanding. I have met many fashion students during my degree who ended up changing their course because they simply were not aware of the hard work and constant dedication it takes to be on top of your studies in order to be successful. It sounds prestigious to be able to say ‘I am a fashion designer’, but you need to get your hands dirty, and by that I mean get deeply involved in the entire process from idea to finished product. I believe you need to enjoy every stage of the process and often spend most of your time developing your skills, which is incredibly time-consuming. It is not enough to just be able to do some random sketches from the top of your head, but instead you need to educate yourself on all aspects of designing.
JR: I think my advice would be to have fun with it. Fashion is a very broad subject, you can be as wacky and individual with it as you can. Don't be afraid to design something just because it's not trendy.
Finally, what's the next step in your journey?
Ideally, I wish to gain experience from different fashion houses while I get to travel, but first I want to have a photo-shoot of my collection and hopefully get that published in a magazine. I already have an idea for a next collection, so I will concentrate on some conceptual projects, which will be something between art and fashion that pushes the boundaries and challenges the ideals of the traditional fashion establishment. It will be quality over quantity, and people should not be discarding my clothes after a couple of seasons.
JR: The next step in my journey is to try and get some internships in London. A necessary step in every fashion designer's career. It's an exciting and competitive industry and one I want to devote myself too 100%
All information on both graduate and undergraduate programmes at Regent's University London can be found at http://www.regents.ac.uk
Main Image: Design by Christine Smith Egeland Photographer: Peter Whitfield Model: Elesha EdenHMUA: Jules Robson
Second Image: Design by Jess Ryan
