Sophia Edosovba

My design Concept was based on the impact of betrayal on an individual and also examines ways of recovery from that person. It’s looking at the love binaries, where love and hate have two sides of them that are either good or bad. My concept explores the relationship between love and betrayal, alliances and unity, the cycle of wounds healing, emotional damage and families. The focus of the research is on the cultural union, marriages and rituals.

In turn leads into the research of the various points of view of how sacred a marital union is conceived in different cultures throughout the world, and also in contrast with the Western world. For example, polygamy that is tolerated in Islam, Africa and several other countries but in the Western world or Christianity forbidding or viewing as a taboo. The royal family was an essential part of my research, as it supports my interpretation of "love binaries." They are equipped to publicly express themselves in some ways which may not represent their own reality. As seen in the encounters Princess Diana and Megan have as royalty. This could be perceived as deceptive but, in truth, the royal standard. They are stripped of the title, or known as rebels, when a Royal goes against what was.

Looking at famous couples, broken relationships, I also examined lyrics and songs that conveyed different emotions and how the lyrics of an artist could represent their feelings. Betrayal is not something that has arisen recently as betrayal can be seen in the Bible when Judas sold Jesus Christ with a kiss. I have looked at the severity of betrayal as victims of acid attack who are deceived by someone they once loved and vice versa. This looks at the healing process of wounds and violence that could cause love which transforms into betrayal. A person's mental health which has been scarred by abuse for life and if all wounds heal. I came to the conclusion that in some cases it could be a veiled blessing for somebody like Katie Piper and Mary Konye who recovered and used their experiences in a positive way to raise awareness but on the flip side someone like Fakhra Younus who committed suicide because of her husband's permanent damage. That led me to Kintgusi research which is a Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. I have chosen this technique because of its meaning that relates closely to my concept. 

The colour that I choose to express my thoughts are colours that I think the feelings that flow through my concept can better be described. The colour red that stands for frustration, risk, fire, determination. This is an emotionally intense colour. This is what it feels like for a person that just got betrayed. Black who combine aggression, fear, misery, evil, power, death. Black is a lack of colour too. In my collection This conveys the dark spot a person who feels betrayal just experienced. White colour associated with purity, innocence, safety, and black's opposite, conveys the recovery stages of the fear and anger they felt. Gold to which magic, courage, passion, glitz and glam are all associated. This colour binds in all the pain and represents someone who wants to pick up the broken pieces in order to fill the gaps and move on from all the pain they have felt.

Issey Miyake was a designer referenced on the "A-Poc" (a piece of cloth) collection. Although the idea behind the collection was zero waste where anybody could cut a seam into the cloth without damaging it. To me, this demonstrates unity and also a solution to a problem.

 I began using hand stitching techniques such as darning and beautiful red cord stitches to create textile samples to express the concept of scarring on a garment. I did this by cutting fabric strings, and then using yarns to sew them into a different fabric/using yarns to stitch on a fabric. I also used silk painting lining and gold thread  to integrate the kintgusi technique into my design. It represents sonething being beautiful while broken. While my design has a lot of negative feeling, I have tried to represent this in a beautiful way to create clothes that are beautiful without loosing it’s message.

Like my contemporary Ellie Saab and Zhuhai Murad, who works extensively with craftsmanship and handwork, I always looked at embellishing my clothes with rhinestone beads and brightness to reflect beauty and healing. Looking at the overhead and fascinating ascetic silhouette of comme des garçon and Victor and Rolf, I decided to include a mask as a seamless look on all my clothes, Which in my view reflects the different sides of what a traitor reveals as opposed to what they think. 

My collection starts with clothing that shows a lot of scars that slowly reduces as it goes along on the clothing. Given how I want to present my collection compared to a traditional fashion show that would not be the ideal way to set my design atmosphere, because of the message I want to convey. The Mulberry Show in fall/winter 2016/17. The stained windowed Cathedral would be a best example. I see a church as a holy place where a person can obtain healing from God, I think this will better present my work.

Not just a label would be the best platform for my collection to show off. It is a creative network for creative people, because they create an open network platform for visibility for young designers.

Over time, my initial design has changed significantly and my work into different traditions and techniques has a different dimension to my selection and has strengthened my ideas.