Edinburgh College of Art at Graduate Fashion Week

Eerie music filled the room as everyone prepared to see the final collections from the students of Edinburgh School of Art. A model with her face covered steps on to the runway and sets the mood for the first collection of the show. Jacob Birge's collection headed down the runway with a sense of mystery but power as his models walked with their heads covered by fantastic headwear and showcasing his PVC cladded creations.

Themes running through the collections from Edinburgh were that of structure and volume. How this was achieved varied from structured fabrics to an overload of layering but one thing was for sure, bigger is better. The students demonstrated a love for a contrast in materials, combining leather with flowing silks and tailored wovens with PVC panels and metal accessories. The collection from Jacqueline McLardie in particular, provided a host of stunning fluid prints with leather tops and waistcoats constructed with panels of leather that looked almost like an animals shell and gave the impression of armour.

Oversizing was another method of achieving this volume. The menswear collection from Riona Horrox combined unconventional materials into menswear such as fur and oversized everything from shirts to huge puffa jackets that created interesting silhouettes through the use of padding and clever panelling.

The concepts behind the collections at Edinburgh School of Art are clearly very interesting and the students want to make an impact on the industry by creating collections that are refreshing and contemporary. There was masculine womenswear, feminine menswear and a unisex collection, playing on ideas of gender and androgyny and creating a fascinating, diverse showcase of collections.  

Photographs by Charlotte Headdey