Sophie Tolhurst

Grey Sheep

Location

london / United Kingdom

University

university of westminster

Graduation year

2013

Contact

Sophie Tolhurst is a womenswear designer based in London. Having completed a four year degree from the University of Westminster in 2013, Sophie has also worked for companies such as Bally, Aitor Throup, and Christopher Raeburn.

The designer focuses on creating womenswear with a sense of uneasy elegance. The collections combine contrasting fabrics and densely worked knitting into garments that are cut to twist around and envelope the wearer.

Latest Collection

AW13

This collection was inspired by the textures of dated pre-fabricated housing, traditional fishwives’ clothing and vintage Halloween costumes. These, as distinct and recognisable images of the past resonate differently in the present: the unfashionable is once again interesting, the unusual silhouette of the fishwives’ striking upturned skirts removed from their function, and the homemade Halloween costumes seem far eerier than originally intended. Corrugated iron, Formica work surfaces and crazy paving influence the textures, colours and graphic patterns of knitted fabrics. Elastics both enhance knitted textures, and are used to intersect bold draped shapes inspired by the Newhaven fishwives’ upturned skirts, and the layered oversized shapes of the vintage Halloween costumes. Silhouettes are cut to twist, flare and curve, without becoming clumsy, sometimes aided by wide strong bands of elastic, and highlighted through pleats, patterned fabrications and embroidered fabrics.