SAMANTHA WOOD

UCA EPSOM MENSWEAR DESIGN GRADUATE SAMANTHA WOOD WAS INSPIRED BY A COLLECTION OF COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHS FROM AROUND THE TIME OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION IN AMERICA. THE COLLECTION ENTITLED ‘THERE’S A TIME OF CHANGE’ FEATURES CLOTHING REFERENCES FROM AMERICAN WORKWEAR WITH SIMPLE SHAPES AND SILHOUETTES BUT WITH A TWIST.

“I LOVED THAT PHOTOGRAPHS THAT WOULD USUALLY BE SEEN IN BLACK AND WHITE WERE BRIGHTLY COLOURED SO YOU COULD SEE THE PATTERN AND TEXTURE AS WELL AS HAND CRAFTS SUCH AS EMBROIDERY AND PATCHWORK. I ENJOY LOOKING AT AMERICAN CULTURE AND INTERPRETING IT WITH MY BRITISH POINT OF VIEW.”

DURING THIS COLLECTION SAMANTHA WAS ABLE TO CREATE A LOT OF HER OWN FABRICS EITHER BY ALTERING EXISTING PRINTS WITH PAINT OR BY CREATING NEW PRINTS. BY EXPERIMENTING WITH PASTEL COLOURS AND SURFACE DECORATION, SUCH AS CROSS STITCH, THAT ARE NOT USUALLY SEEN IN MENSWEAR SAMANTHA HAS BEEN ABLE TO CREATE A PLAYFUL YET WEARABLE COLLECTION.