Emma Pepperdine

After completing my placement year in the industry, I was keen to begin the final stage of my degree and bring my collection ideas to life. Following a range of internships, including garment development and print design, I developed a broad and diverse range of skills which I have implemented throughout my final project.

Womenswear design and product development are where I gained the most experience and confidence in whilst in industry and I wanted to showcase this through a project I feel deeply connected to. 

Oxidise, is inspired by abandoned architecture and the redemption of buildings. On a trip to Rome, I was captivated by the beauty of buildings in decay. I wanted to use sustainability within my collection, taking something old and turning it into something new, mirroring the redemption of buildings. To do this, I used designer off-cut fabrics and recycled denim to create my pieces. I developed my own print design from a painting I made inspired by oxidising metal and peeling paint.  

The key theme of my collection is to not destroy the old but bring it back to life, to create something new and precious, something new from old.