Kate Fleetwood

REIMAGINING STREETWEAR THROUGH ITS PAST AND FUTURE

THIS COLLECTION EXAMINES THE INFLUENCE OF HIP-HOP MUSIC AND CULTURE ON MY PERSONAL STYLE, USING STREETWEAR AS A MEDIUM TO EXPLORE IDENTITY, CONFIDENCE, AND SELF-EXPRESSION. ROOTED IN THE VISUAL LANGUAGE OF HIP-HOP, THE PROJECT DRAWS ON THE GENRE’S USE OF CLOTHING AS A TOOL FOR COMMUNICATION, WHERE SILHOUETTE, PROPORTION, AND ATTITUDE FUNCTION AS EXTENSIONS OF THE SELF.

GROWING UP, I GRAVITATED TOWARDS OVERSIZED SILHOUETTES AS A WAY TO HIDE MY INSECURITIES AND PERSONALITY FROM THE WORLD. I ALWAYS STRUGGLED WITH BEING CONFIDENT AND BELIEVING IN MYSELF HOWEVER ONCE DISCOVERING HIPHOP MUSIC, MY PERCEPTION OF MYSELF CHANGED. I BEGAN TO REINTERPRET THESE PROPORTIONS, NOT AS CONCEALMENT BUT AS WAY TO INTENTIONALLY EXPRESS CONFIDENCE AND POWER. THIS SHIFT IN PERSPECTIVE IS CENTRALISED IN MY COLLECTION, WHERE SIMPLY OVERSIZED FORMS ARE REIMAGINED AS BOLD, SELF-ASSURED STATEMENTS.

HIP-HOP’S RELATIONSHIP WITH FASHION HAS LONG CHALLENGED CONVENTIONAL IDEAS OF FIT, LUXURY, AND PRESENTATION. THIS COLLECTION REFLECTS THAT ETHOS BY EMBRACING BOLD PROPORTIONS, BLINGED OUT AND RELAXED SILHOUETTES, POSITIONING CLOTHING NOT ONLY AS SOMETHING WORN, BUT AS SOMETHING THAT SPEAKS. THIS COLLECTION APPROACHES HIP-HOP FASHION WITH RESPECT FOR ITS CULTURAL ORIGINS, HONOURING TRADITIONAL STREETWEAR SILHOUETTES AND MATERIAL CHOICES THAT HAVE SHAPED THE GENRE. RATHER THAN ATTEMPTING TO REDEFINE THESE FOUNDATIONS, MY DESIGNS ARE BUILD UPON THEM ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR HISTORY WHILE INTRODUCING PERSONAL, AND EDUCATED DESIGN DEVELOPMENTS. BY MAINTAINING RECOGNISABLE FORMS AND REFERENCES, THE COLLECTION POSITIONS ITSELF AS A CONTINUATION OF AN ESTABLISHED VISUAL LANGUAGE, SHAPED BY MY OWN PERSPECTIVE AS A DESIGNER. ANY ADAPTATIONS ARE INTENTIONAL AND RESTRAINED, ENSURING THAT THE INTEGRITY OF THE ORIGINAL SILHOUETTES REMAINS CENTRAL.

EACH GARMENT IS CONSTRUCTED USING EITHER 100% NATURAL FIBRES OR 100% RECYCLED POLYESTER, ALONGSIDE INNOVATIVE MATERIALS SUCH AS SAVIAN BIO-FUR, PIÑATEX AND DESSERTO. BY INCORPORATING THESE EMERGING SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS, OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH LUXURY OR CONCEPTUAL FASHION, INTO STREETWEAR SILHOUETTES, THE COLLECTION CHALLENGES PRECONCEIVED IDEAS OF WHAT SUSTAINABLE FASHION CAN LOOK LIKE. MAKING SUSTAINABLE FASHION TRENDY AND FLY.

This portfolio consists of my main research and design development that led me to creating my 3 look collection.

DRAWING FROM HIPHOP’S VISUAL LANGUAGE, KATE EMBRACES OVERSIZED, RELAXED SILHOUETTES,  AS TOOLS FOR CONFIDENCE AND IDENTITY. WHAT ONCE SERVED AS A FORM OF PERSONAL CONCEALMENT FOR KATE HAS NOW BEEN REINTERPRETED AS A POWERFUL STATEMENT OF SELF-EXPRESSION. THROUGH RELAXED FITS, BOLD EMBELLISHMENTS AND LAYERED DETAILING, THE COLLECTION REFLECTS HIPHOP’S LONG STANDING RELATIONSHIP WITH FASHION AS A FORM OF COMMUNICATION AND PRESENCE. AS WELL AS CONNECTING TO THE REMIXES AND LAYERED SOUNDS FOUND WITHIN HIPHOP MUSIC ITSELF AS THE LOOKS BUILD SIMILAR DEPTH THROUGH TEXTURAL, COLOURED AND EMBELLISHED MATERIAL CONTRASTS.

APPROACHING THE CULTURE WITH RESPECT FOR ITS ORIGINS, KATE’S COLLECTION HONOURS TRADITIONAL HIPHOP SILHOUETTE AND MATERIAL CHOICES WHILST INTRODUCING EDUCATED DESIGN DEVELOPMENTS THAT BUILD UPON HIPHOPS VISUAL LANGUAGE RATHER THAN REDIFINING IT. EMBELLISHED ELEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE GARMENTS REFERENCE HIPHOP’S RELATIONSHIP WITH STATEMENT DRESSING, WHERE SHINE AND DETAIL BECOME PART OF THE VISUAL RHYTHM OF THE LOOK.

WHILE SUSTAINABILITY HAS GAINED PROMINENCE WITHIN HIGH FASHION, IT REMAINS UNDER-REPRESENTED IN STREETWEAR DUE TO FAST FASHION DOMINATING THE STREETWEAR INDUSTRY. EACH GARMENT IN KATE’S COLLECTION IS MADE FROM EITHER 100% NATURAL FIBRES OR 100% RECYCLED POLYESTER, ALONGSIDE INNOVATIVE MATERIALS SUCH AS SAVIAN FUR BY BIOFLUFF, PIÑATEX BY ANANAS ANAM AND DESSERTO BY ADRIANO DI MARTI CO. BY INTEGRATING THESE MATERIALS INTO FAMILIAR STREETWEAR SILHOUETTES, THIS COLLECTION DEMONSTRATES HOW INNOVATIVE MATERIALS AND EVERYDAY STYLE CAN COEXIST. RATHER THAN POSITIONING SUSTAINABILITY AS EXCLUSIVE OR HIGH FASHION, THIS COLLECTION PRESENTS RESPONSIBLE MATERIALS IN AN AESTHETIC THAT RESONATES WITH CONTEMPORARY STREETWEAR AUDIENCES ACROSS MULTIPLE GENERATIONS.

BY MERGING HIPHOPS EXPRESSIVE ENERGY WITH EMERGING SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES, “SUSTAIN THIS” PROPOSES A FUTURE WHERE HIPHOP AND RESPONSIBLE DESIGN STRENGTHEN ONE ANOTHER AND MOVE FORWARDS TOGETHER.