'The Millinery Collection', The Inspiration

From designers, to Grimm's, to dreams, the inspiration for the millinery collection has evolved into a whole new world of it's own. From a young age I have always been intrigued and fascinated with the weird, the quirky and the unusual. I always loved to dress up, to be someone else for a short moment in time. In the world of fashion this is something which caught my eye, particularly in the works of designers such as Philip Tracey, Alexander McQueen, Gianni Versace and many others.

For me personally McQueen stands out from all the rest. Experiencing his work first hand in person at the 'Savage Beauty' exhibition, held at the V&A in London, I was amazed. No words can describe the emotion and the depth you can feel from the work first hand in person. This wasn't just fashion it was a whole new experience of it's own. This is something I wanted to translate in my work. I want people to feel the emotion, to experience a form of escapism and excitement from the rest of the world.

The pieces I have created for the collection each have their own story to tell. The masquerade offers you an experience to hide away from the rest of the world. To portray a different character or emotion. To feel like something new, to escape. Whilst the headdresses offer you the chance to gain power and recognition. To evoke glamour and character. The pieces combined will help you to build a character, to evoke an alter personality.

When I say each piece has their own unique qualities and personality, they do. When making the pieces I would listen to different types of music, read different types of poetry. Sometimes I would vision the pieces in dreams and write about them before sketching them. Other times I would just impulsively get a collection of materials and sit with them, ending in a result of something new being created from what I am feeling in that moment of time.

When you see the work in person you will understand. Each piece may be different, but collectively they work. Like writing a Grimm or a fairytale, you need a collection of different characters to tell a story.

Photography by: Megan Sanderson, Imprint Photography

'The Millinery Collection' opens this Saturday the 15th of September at The Barracks/ Theatreofpluck, Belfast. From 6pm to 9pm for one night only.