Institution
Belfast School of Art, Ulster University
Medium
Fashion
Graduation Year
Class of 2025
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My name is Holly, a fashion graduate of BA Hons Textile Art, Design, and Fashion from Ulster University, specialising in garment construction. My work is about making emotion wearable - creating pieces that don't just sit on the body but support it. Through texture and colour, I aim for the wearer to feel understood and foster deeper attachment to their clothing, holding onto it for longer. I'm drawn to materials with a past, often working with up-cycled fabrics and second-hand hardware to create tactile pieces rooted in storytelling and possibilities. As a fashion designer, my work is a reaction to the world around me - exploring the intricacy of nature and human feelings - compelled by my personal experience with anxiety and escapism found in nature. I abstract elements from botanicals, focusing on their textures and structures, paying close attention to line, direction and form to infuse into my work. I produce garments and collections for both conceptual projects and commercial wear. My graduate collection, ‘Gladrags’, is a sensory-driven exploration of the deep connection between human emotion and the changing seasons. This tactile collection is curated for the emotionally aware, to calm and ground the wearer. Recognising a growing need for sensory fashion, I identified a gap for tactile garments to provide sensory distraction from overwhelming and anxious feelings. In addition, the feelings wheel played a significant role in my project, with the circle symbolising protection and the cyclical nature of both emotions and the seasons, influencing fabric manipulations and circular textures, which became a running thread across my collection. Moreover, researching into where emotions are felt within the body informed the placement of these textures over the body, to metaphorically counteract the force of negative emotions. Sustainability in my work is not only environmental but emotional — my final year collection up-cycled pre-loved fabrics passed down through my family. This allowed memory and emotion to guide my design process. These textiles carry personal histories, and by reworking them, I breathe new life into their stories while honouring the past as they pass from generation to generation. Up-cycled and sentimental materials are central to my practice, adding meaning and individuality to each piece. My aim is for the wearer to tell an intangible story in a tangible way. In addition, I find more creative opportunities when faced with limitations in fabrication, creatively resolving garment ideas with what is at hand. I further aim for people to wear reimagined clothing that utilises waste, to redefine fashion standards and aesthetics.
