Katie Wickham
CONTACT DETAILS:
Email: [email protected]
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-wickham-ba4948155/
Artsthread: https://www.artsthread.com/profile/katiewickham/
Instagram: (@katie_wickham_design)
https://www.instagram.com/katie_wickham_design/
PERSONAL STATEMENT:
ABOUT MY PORTFOLIO:
Over the course of my final year, I have designed five collections for varying market levels and target audiences.
Marine Utility X COS makes reference to utility style fishermen’s garments throughout history in a modern, minimalist collection for Autumn/Winter 2021. Combining a mix of natural and man-made fibres alongside a neutral colour palette with bold highlights, this collection encapsulates both modern and historic fishermen’s workwear. The traditional Fishermans gansey forms the inspiration behind the knitwear in the collection, with this idea being explored and experimented within my design development.
My Strike A Pose collections for TopShop and Rodarte are inspired by the 1980’s New York drag balls, drawing reference from the BBC series ‘Pose’ and the iconic documentary ‘Paris Is Burning’ respectively. The bold, unapologetic style of the drag queens has been my sole focus throughout the development for this collection, using drag inspired silhouettes to present this within my collection.
Kimono x Whistles is a print focused collection for Spring/Summer, inspired by the silhouettes found in ancient Japanese art and Kimonos. I have used archival research into classic Japanese prints to inform my design process, looking to the colours and motifs used in Japanese art along with the silhouette of the traditional Kimono.
For the last of these collections I have created a seasonless collection for my own brand, Delineation. This is an eco-conscious brand focussed on promoting Slow Fashion through encouraging consumers to keep and pass on their garments, therefore elongating their individual product lifecycle and keeping them out of landfill. Each garment has hand sewn elements and detailed print development, with the unique nature of each piece encouraging the KEEP ME concept behind the brand. The collection is aesthetically inspired by the architectural plans of the Bait Ur Rouf Mosque in Bangladesh, with the detailed geometric nature of these drawings reinforcing the theme of quality behind my brand.
MY DESIGN AESTHETIC:
I have always looked to a more geometric style of design within my work, focusing on the line and silhouette of the garments I create in order to give each piece the desired impact. Although, I have really enjoyed exploring and experimenting with print throughout my final portfolio, particularly within my Kimono x Whistles collection.
HIGHLIGHT OF MY DEGREE:
The highlight of my degree has been seeing how much I have improved throughout my university experience, honing my individuality and deign style and being able to take ownership of this. University has been one big learning curve, and I feel that I am so much more prepared to head out into industry now, with all the experience from both my university course and my Year in Industry placements at both Erdem and Three Graces London.