BEFORE A WOUND CAN HEAL, IT MUST FIRST BE SEEN
Category: Apparel
Competitions: Fashion Competition 2026
Family sits at the heart of my final graduate collection ‘BEFORE A WOUND CAN HEAL, IT MUST FIRST BE SEEN’, where childhood memory meets present emotion. Rooted in the lives of my father and brother, it traces a dialogue between carpentry workwear and medical attire—between labour, care, and vulnerability. Worn materials, marked by use and time, are reworked into garments that carry their own histories, transforming absence into presence. Through tactile surfaces, reconstructed forms, and protective yet fragile silhouettes, the collection reflects on loss, renewal, and the quiet persistence of memory. My submission for the ‘only natural’ competition is LOOK 3 – ‘THE CARPENTERS WIFE’. The look is inspired by my mother, where the dress was organically draped straight onto the stand. Made out of one of my brother’s old carpentry dust sheets, I have upcycled and re-worked something used into something beautiful again. There is a hidden corset keeping the dress up, made from hand dyed tea-stained cotton gauze and a cotton canvas lining. My collection also merges medical attire (a topic very close to my heart). I was inspired by surgeons back in the day, who were referred to and seen as similar to ‘butchers’. The look is styled with a ‘butchers’ inspired apron, using university deadstock calf leather. To me, yellow is a very spiritual and hopeful colour, and reminds me of a promise that we will one day meet again those we have lost. Finally, my brother helped me craft a pair of wooden heels. We took apart a stair spindle and attached it to the heel and hand painted them dark brown. The leather wrapped around her leg is scrap leather from university and completes ‘The Carpenters Wife’ beautifully.
