During my MA my primary concern as a printed textile designer was the relationship between structure and surface, keeping in mind current and past beauty ideals and the manipulation of the female form. I am interested in the relationship fabric has with the body, the way it conceals, reveals, accentuates and disguises certain parts of the figure.

I wanted my work to reconcile the printed surface and structural form. I wanted the print to dictate the structure of the form, rather than just decorate it. Inspired by images of manipulated beauty such as fetishism and plastic surgery, I focused on the areas of the body that are seen as typically feminine: the bust, the hips and the waist.

Using stripes has given me a good basic outline to experiment with the way print interacts with form, they can be used to distort, exaggerate, enhance and manipulate shape. With the inclusion of padding I have created a collection that accentuates the female form without constriction. It is a playful, tactile and sexy celebration of the female figure.

Textile Design MA - Chelsea College of Art & Design