hannah lauren riley

My collection, Anamnesis, meaning the recollection or remembrance of the past, especially of a supposed previous existence, is inspired by my mother’s childhood and adolescent years, documented through photographs, in the 1970s and 80s, exploring memory, kitsch and extravagance.

Honing in on her birthday parties and proms, my collection translates the photographs’ whimsical, fantastical, candid, naive and nostalgic nature into a real-life explosion of the joy and allure that they possess. The glitzy ball gowns, garish designs, awkward smiles, floral table cloths, kitsch cakes, sweet treats and colourful party hats and balloons all became fruitful inspiration.

As both a lover of the past and personal stories, I’ve spent time rifling through my grandmother’s and mother’s photo albums. I loved rediscovering, and imagining, who my mother was, and her past experiences growing up in a different era. These photographs, candid and imperfect in nature, as was the case with photography of the time, drew me in with their sense of aliveness and fantasy.

A theme that emerged from these photographs came from me and my mother’s love of dressing up in our parents’ clothing when we were children. I wanted to rediscover the joys of dressing, from a child’s perspective. What it once was like when dressing, for all of us, with no preconceptions, paying no attention to trends, but with pure delight as to the idiosyncratic creations we’d adorn ourselves with. While for children, adults’ clothing is always too big and ill-fitting, it is often far more exciting. As a result, unique and unusual silhouettes can emerge from their creativity, naivety and lack of inhibition. Using children to collage with my draped designs and pre-cut photographs became integral to my design process.

This collection is textiles-led with a mixed media approach, reflective of the energetic and fantastical nature of children's parties and proms in the 70s and 80s and of dressing up as a child. It incoporates sublimation printing, machine embroidery, beading, embellishing and applique, utilising deadstock designer and vintage fabrics and embellishments, upcycled vintage garments and created bespoke recycled PET sequins. Rich velvets and silks are layered with tulle and organza, and combined with floral-printed fabrications by Liberty of London.

Anamnesis is a tangible manifestation of my mother’s memories, re-envisioned and re-interpreted through my own lens, while exploring clothing’s ability to become a personal archaeology, an autobiographical tool and tactile and tangible mixtape of memories.