My love of fashion started long before I understood what it meant to be a designer. As a child, I was fascinated by shows like Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire and Winx Club. I loved how each character had their own style, and how changing an outfit could almost mean stepping into a different world. Clothes felt like more than something you wore. They could change how you presented yourself, how you felt and even the version of yourself you wanted others to see.
As I grew older, that fascination developed into a love of creating. I would sit with my nan at her sewing machine, learning practical skills and figuring out how to fix things, from a broken zip to a favourite piece of clothing. Those early experiences introduced me to the process behind the clothes I had always admired. Eventually, I realised I didn't just want to look at fashion or imagine the things I could wear. I wanted to make them myself.
Studying BA (Hons) Fashion at Arts University Bournemouth has allowed me to develop my own ideas and explore what I want to communicate through my work. My final major project, The Weight of Words, explores the emotions that exist within female relationships, particularly the things we say, the things we leave unsaid and how both can affect our connections with one another. The project draws on my own experiences and friendships, as well as the letters my grandparents exchanged while my granddad was in the Navy. I became interested in how letters can hold so much of a relationship within them, preserving feelings and memories long after the words were first written.
I wanted these ideas to come through in the clothes themselves, rather than just being something explained alongside them. I have been exploring this through layering, gathering, wrapping and pinning, using the construction of each garment to reflect different feelings and tensions. Lace and lightweight fabrics bring a sense of delicacy and nostalgia, while the way fabrics are arranged and held together explores the balance between softness and protection. I want the garments to feel personal, as though they hold something of the experiences and emotions that inspired them.
Illustration has become another way for me to explore the ideas behind my collection. I start with the garments I have designed and made, then experiment with how I can translate them into something new through illustration, rather than simply reproducing their original fabrics or silhouettes. I collect visual references and play with different materials, textures and imagery, exploring how I can capture the feeling of a garment in a two-dimensional image.
My illustration process is digital, but it begins with collecting physical scraps of fabric, magazine imagery and visual references from places like Pinterest. I bring these different sources together digitally, cutting out fragments, flipping images, editing textures and layering them to create something entirely new. I am particularly drawn to obscure imagery and small details that might otherwise go unnoticed. Often, I use only a tiny fraction of an original image, removing it so far from its original context that the wider image becomes almost unrecognisable. I like the idea that the final composition is something that could only exist in that exact form, with each fragment taking on a new meaning once it is brought together with the others.
I want my illustrations to feel like a story or a memory, rather than simply an image of an outfit. Handwritten details, layered textures and collected imagery allow me to create a sense of atmosphere, leaving room for the viewer to bring their own interpretation to the work. For me, it is about finding a way to communicate something that might not be immediately obvious from looking at the garment alone.
Being shortlisted for the Graduate Fashion Foundation Fashion Illustration Award was a genuinely surprising and proud moment. As I am still experimenting and developing my own style, it meant a lot to have my illustration work recognised. It gave me confidence in the direction I am taking my work and encouraged me to keep pushing my ideas, exploring different ways of bringing together fashion, illustration and storytelling.
Looking back, my journey began with being fascinated by the outfits I saw on television. Since then, I have moved from admiring the way clothes look to exploring the feelings and experiences they can represent. I am still learning and developing as a designer, but I know that I want my work to feel personal, thoughtful and open to interpretation.
Want to see more? Check out Ellie’s work on Instagram, @ellie.fashion_
