University Update: Interviewing

After the thrills of the styling unit came interviewing. I was teamed up with a graduate fashion student from my Uni and was asked to carry out an interview with them in the style of a magazine of my choice. I chose Dazed and Confused magazine as they're are known for featuring new talent. It took me over a week to manage to get in contact with my graduate student, but after a dozen emails I finally got a reply with an invite down to the design studio to carry out my interview. I interviewed Rosannagh Maddock, who's graduate collection is inspired by the London Underground.

The Interview:

Rosannagh Maddock wants to develop a new aesthetic in fashion. The 21-year-old graduate fashion student from the University of the Creative Arts takes her inspiration from places people don’t usually pay attention to. Her graduate collection Engineering Works is designed based upon the experience and purpose of the London Underground. Key elements to the collection are prints and structuring so it’s clear that she’s been influenced by her favourite designers Balenciaga and Proenza Schouler.

Dressed in a grey oversized jumper, black maxi skirt and converse high tops, Maddock looks relaxed, with her mousy brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. “I got into fashion through fashion illustration, that’s my main love”, she explains, sitting in a cornered off section of the design studio, surrounded by mannequins with cut outs of images and fabrics pinned up in front of her. “My Mum used to draw little figures and I would draw the clothes on them, like a fashion template”, she recalls, as she smiles fondly. Inheriting her creative flair from her Mother, a knitwear designer, Maddock grew up in the countryside of Herefordshire. ‘It’s like carrying on a family tradition’, she adds proudly about her career choice.

An internship at Iris Van Herpen swayed Maddock to work with precise leatherwork. “I want the wearer to feel protected” she explains, regarding the vast amount of leather used throughout her designs. Aside from leather, velvet, silk and knitwear make up the rest of the collection, all of which are printed on. The prints used are made up from photographs Moddock took on the London Underground herself: “They’re deliberately shit. I didn’t want a professional gloss on it. I wanted people’s everyday experiences to be made the essential focus for something beautiful”.

Maddock designed Engineering Works with jumpers and trainers in mind. “It’s special casual wear. I want it to look different in everyday life”, she says as she flicks through her sketchbook of intricate designs. The collection is made up of structured jackets with big curly collars, tailored trousers, skirts with layering and folds on and jumpers; all of which have raw edges. Keeping in tone with London Underground, Maddock has used a dark colour scheme, black grey and maroon dominating the collection, with hints of green and navy breaking through.

Aware of the tough competition of the fashion design industry, Maddock notes: “There seems to be this core of people who are chosen to be successful, and they all seem to be from Saint Martin’s or London College of Fashion. I think you have to go to one of those institutions to really demand peoples interest, your work doesn’t really speak for itself.” She pauses for a second, before continuing: “If you’re good enough, you’ll get there”.

After meeting Maddock, you can see how much time and hard work she has put into bringing her collection to life. Her designs may reflect her journey through London, but when it comes to her career, Maddock’s journey has only just begun.