My styling & creative direction (and consequently my blogging duties) have had to be put on hold temporarily while I create my collection for London Alternative Fashion Week!
Me being me, I've dipped my fingers in yet another pie and have finally been able to work on my passion for unusual masks/'Facewear'. I've had an overriding obsession with masks for the last couple of years since I began researching for my 'Emotionalisation' work, particularly inspired by the artist Gillian Wearing's work with masks. Wearing created very moving films of normal people sharing their deepest, darkest secrets - able to purely because they were wearing masks. Now most wouldn't call the masks she used 'pretty', but it was the psychology behind this work that really struck a chord with me. Having always been interested in how the mind controls the body & vice-versa, I became hooked on the use of masks to hide, adorn and accentuate the face, by working with the natural beauty & contours of the face.
Metal was the material that I decided would work best for me, as the possibilities seem almost endless. However I'm not limiting myself to this medium, so I'm also exploring various other materials. In need of metal work skills, I undertook jewellery making lessons at the brilliant London Jewellery School, learning to work with silver from some really inspiring & experienced jewellery designers/creators - Zoe Harding & Michael Milloy.
Gemma Landing, a fashion designer friend then approached me a few months later with the proposal to create a combined collection to enter to London Alternative Fashion Week. I immediately agreed and so we began our weekly meetings to get our collection together. I think even Gemma and I are surprised how well we work together - both really hard workers, highly ambitious and very creative, we work together to make such a strong team. We were (and still are!) so excited when we found out just before Christmas '11 that we'd got into AFW 2012...and so the work to create the collection 'for real' has begun!
Combining high-fashion facewear & large statement haute-couture jewellery for the body, with stunning feminine 'Roman goddesss-like' garments - all with a little fetish edge to them, we're both so excited to show our first collection to London.
My website's still being developed, but here's the holding page: http://www.jdfacewear.com
Our collection 'Alexandria' will be on the catwalk in April 2012 in London. YES!!
More news soon & a belated happy new year to everyone! x
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