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The Savannah College of Art and Design’s graduating fashion design students spent their entire senior year learning remotely due to the pandemic. This meant crafting their thesis collections — designs that are often seen as an entryway to getting a coveted design job or an order from a forward-thinking store — with limited resources.
SCAD, unlike most art schools, allowed a reduced capacity of students into their workrooms throughout the year. But students — still unable to interact with their peers and professors in a typical manner — used their state of isolation to look inward and address highly personal topics in their designs.
Herein, WWD meets five members from SCAD’s class of 2021 who explain the concepts and inspirations behind their thesis designs, as well as their hopes for the future.
Describe the concept behind your thesis collection:
My collection’s general concept is a journey into our dreams. My own dream was to create a collection entirely composed out of discarded garments and by stripping them down and weaving them into a process I call “Dream Weaving.”
What techniques are you most proud of in your thesis collection? Did you develop any special fabrications or processes to finish?
I developed a technique I call “Dream Weaving,” which involves me cutting garments such as T-shirts, pants, knits, fabrics, etc., into strips, knotting them together and forming balls of yarn that I use to weave on a hedge loom. This creates an entirely new textile out of waste.
What were some of the inspirations, concepts or important world events that helped lead your thesis work?
My biggest inspiration for this collection comes from a 1996 Sega Saturn game called “Nights Into Dreams,” which follows the story of two young children traveling through a dream world learning about all the infinite worlds and possibilities that come with dreaming. The game inspired me to create each look based on a different dream I have had throughout my life. I’ve kept a book to log my dreams and then created sketches.
Has the pandemic changed your outlook on the fashion industry? If so, how?
In a sense, not much has changed going into the pandemic. If anything, the pandemic only made me more aware of how much clothing a person really tends to collect over a period, not knowing what to do with them. Considering how we were all inside for a while, most of our clothes never saw the light of day.
What do you hope to accomplish most in your career as a fashion designer?
My goal is to change the status quo of the industry. Fashion has always been a forerunner for innovation and the creation of unique designs and silhouettes. The industry could really become the pioneer in sustainability and accountability. In my own career, I wish to change the outlook of our industry and show the world that quality is much better than quantity.
Name a trend you are ready to see take off and a trend you are ready to see finish:
Trend I want to see take off: Digital Fashion specifically involving NFTs. A trend I want to see finish: influencer culture. I do not believe anyone needs influencing when it comes to making their own decisions outside of a stylist or friend group.
Written by Misty White Sidell from "WWD" Magazine
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