The fashion show last week was a huge success, and we have a couple of posts highlighting some of the amazing work coming your way soon! In the meantime, however, we have the last of our Spotlight on the Students posts to tide you over – this is an interview with talented third year student Vanessa Lang!
Tell us what your experience on the third year of your course has been like? What have been some highlights?
This course has been challenging, but in a good way. It was the first brief that we had been given that wasn’t restrictive. We could truly experiment in our own way, and design what we wanted. It was all about thinking outside the box and showing off your creativity. It was exciting seeing everyones designs come together, as they are all so different due to the designers taking different approaches to the brief.
My highlight was definitely seeing my design on the front page of the Evening Times. Then featured again with the other six designs that had been chosen out of my year. It was surreal. I found out when i was walking down Buchanan Street in Glasgow, and rushed to the nearest shop to buy a handful of copies. All doing so whilst on the phone to my mum telling her the news. My mum is very supportive of me pursuing my dreams, so it’s nice to hear how proud and happy she is when I get that small step closer.
Another highlight was having my friend Kathryn Conroy, who’s photographs have been featured in Italian Vogue, photograph my designs in a studio environment. This made me feel like i was a real designer and gave me a taste of what its like having to organise things like this in the industry. All of this couldn’t have been done though without my friend, Lauren King, who has been the most amazing model I could have wished for. I am lucky to have such talented friends, eh?
Absolutely! What was the inspiration behind your final outfit?
We were given a brief that consisted of experimenting with the ideas of upcycling and metamorphosis. I then began hunting for inspiration in objects around my home, trying to find something that was used everyday. I stumbled across batteries that had fallen from my TV remote and thats were it all began.
I liked the idea of using batteries, as its something we all subconsciously use everyday. And it was an object that is widely recycled and also transforms into something, power and electricity. So I felt I had tackled the first stage of the brief quite well.
I wanted my garment to look like it had come from the idea of a battery, but in a clever way. So i decided to draw up some designs on CAD and get them digitally printed onto fabric. That way, i could chose the exact design, colour and style to suit what i wanted.
I had the top resemble the upper part of a battery and the skirt resemble the lower part of the body. So that when you examine the garments, you can see a story behind it. I wanted it to look quite quirky and bold, something different and I feel the outcome is something definitely along those lines.
What were some of the ideas behind the styling of your finished product, and how did it feel to see it all come together?
I wanted to make some jewellery to go along with the finished piece, to complete the styling. So I bought some metal and thread and used the casing of the batteries to create some texture. I never realised how hard it was actually going to be trying to get the metal smooth and into the shape i wanted. So this was definitely a challenge. In the end I managed to hand make 3 metal bangles that incorporated the colour scheme of the garment and the different textures.
Through the process of making the garments, I had to think of a person who was going to model it for me. We all had to think carefully of the image this person had and if it worked with out designs. I was just lucky to have a friend with a strong, bold look who is outrageously stunning along with the most amazing afro you will ever see.
In the end everything tied together the way I wanted it. So when it came to presentation day, I was so excited to show it off.
Has your experience of the course given you a strong idea of what you’d like to be doing in the future?<br>
All the experiences and opportunities I have had so far, couldn’t have been achieved without this course. At such a young age I have managed to grasp so many opportunities that I never dreamed possible. I am so thankful for Cale providing this course for young creatives, as what I’ve gained from it will stand me in good stead for when I graduate.
So far I’ve been trying to get a flavour of different fields within the industry, to see what I like working with best. However, at the moment I am still undecided. I think i’ll wait and see what’s out there for when I’m graduating, and work my way up to the top from there.
After the fashion show I fly down to London to start a design and marketing internship with Ted Baker. Exciting times!
Fantastic news Vanessa, and congratulations on all your achievements so far – your final design is stunning!
Keep your eyes peeled for our fashion show posts, coming soon with some amazing images of the designs!
GCU Fashion Show 2014 