Seaquins
Category: Accessories
Competitions: Fashion
Influenced by growing up on the coast and its comfort, ‘My Mother the Sea’ is a narrative-based collection created using hand-crafted texture with sculpture. It portrays a woman escaping life’s pressures, finding solace in a small coastal town where each rockpool contains a whole ocean of life. This concept was developed following a tempestuous storm in my own life, much like the North Sea my mind was relentless, wave upon wave of anxiety crashing upon my shores and the bleak, cold waters pulling me under. As the fog began to clear and I was finally able to keep myself afloat, my first venture outside in over 8 months lead me to St Mary’s Lighthouse and I was able to escape into the memories of my childhood and the stories I would dream up as I watched the sun dancing on the waves. To anyone else a visit to the beach like this would be mundane and something to be taken for granted, but for me it was the beginning of healing- and from this ‘My Mother the Sea’ was born. This formed the inspiration for the exaggerated silhouettes and sculptural elements of my garments, reflecting the enormity of a simple walk along the beach. Much like how my local beaches allowed me to sift through the rubble and wreckage of my own storm and heal, I wanted to do the same for my beloved coastlines. Following the mess and destruction left behind from Storm Babet, I trawled Whitley Bay beach, exploring the mountains of washed-up seaweed and debris searching for treasure. The amount of discarded rubbish and plastic was staggering, leading to me exploring the possibility of using the organic waste from these storms to produce plastic-free alternatives to embroidery techniques, healing both myself and these beautiful coastlines. From this excess of damaged and discarded seaweed I have been able to create ‘Seaquins’, an alternative to plastic sequins that utilises this organic waste whilst also being biodegradable and encouraging conversations surrounding microplastics in our oceans. My motivation behind developing this embellishment method stems from a vision of a mutually beneficial relationship where we use what the sea is offering and transform it into a vessel for change and communication. My methods of transforming seaweed waste into embellishment material is still a work in progress and I am constantly striving to develop it further. Given the time limitations and workload of my degree I have been unable to fully realise the potential of my ‘Seaquins’ and will be demonstrating the embellishments as finished samples and accessories.
