My handy work

During my Alevels i designed, constructed and finished this chair as part of my final year project.  I decided i wanted to create a stackable chair, using two materials that were cheap and able to source easily.  I designed a 'Jig' that made the seat and backrest, the 'Jig' was made using wood struts, that were curved at the edges to give the seat and back rest its ergonomic shape.  The frame was made using tubular steel, so it was lightweight.  I shaped and welded the frame myself.  It was finished using a primer spray then a few coats of black steel spray paint to give the matt effect and definitive silver domed screws were used to secure the seat and back rest to the frame.

I am really proud of the way the chair turned out, as it stands out from other regular stackable chairs. 

I think the fact that i designed and built this by myself, shows that i really enjoy working with resistant materials.  And although i chose to go an do a Fashion degree at uni, i still enjoy building, welding, sawing, sanding and everything else that requires the use of some power tools! 

Interior Design and Communication @ IKEA Cardiff

Since finishing uni i have been looking for jobs, and looking for a new direction within the creative field.  I was lucky enough to work within the interior design department at IKEA Cardiff, where i currently work.  I was given the opportunity to design and create my own displays within the Textiles department.  This was really exciting, as i know how many thousands of customers we get on a weekly basis.  

Below is a selection of photos from the three displays, i also made a curtain for the textiles cutting table using one of the new fabrics available from the range.  

Mood and Fabric boards final collection

Inspiration came from an article in the observer magazine about police women in iran.  The initial image and colours from this image formed the basis of my collection. Fabrics used were a mix of soft hand crinkled, dyed chiffons to more structural leathers and wool.  I also use a different style of pleating called accordion pleats, instead or sunray pleats mainly found on iranian burkas. The colours of the collection ended up being soft candy coloured hues that blended together.  A sharp contrast of black was used for the leather and wool to offset these muted colours.  

Final collection line up

Line up from my final collection, that i made three out of the 8 outfits from shown in my photoshoot images

More photoshoot images

Selection of images i used for a 'lookbook' for my final collection

Curriculum Vitae

Please click the CV, then click to zoom

Graduate Fashion Week 2010

I had my portfolio selected for this years Graduate Fashion Week, at the Earls court 2 in London.  It was quite exciting to see people picking up business cards and trawling through the pages of my book!