This collection is an exploration of my late grandmother's life. In particular, it traces the journey from the young innocent bride to a strong matriarchal woman. I wanted to capture her soft and gentle nature, in contrast to the struggles she faced throughout her life. Using drape to capture the soft, loving relationship between mother and daughter, and evolving to more structured shapes that capture the burden of obligation as a woman in the 1950s. Incorporating distressed shapes to identify the more complex obstacles faced within her marriage and later years. The fabrics I chose to work with include jersey, wool, spandex, and suiting. I used jersey drape to capture her soft femininity, in contrast to the more structured, traditional fabrics such as Irish Wool and suiting to reflect on the tailoring and masculinity of the 1950s. My colour palette was derived from an image of my grandmother as a young mother. I believe these cool earthy tones beautifully depict the balance between love and hardship. Like a butterfly, often wild and interchangeable, “it always reminds us that there is always beauty at the end of all the pain”. This collection ultimately captures the beauty in resilience, strength in hardship, and the softness of motherhood.
