I graduated from Chelsea College of Art, specialising in knitted textile design. 

The inspiration for my final project was the photography of Naoya Hatakeyama, in particular his images of an underground river running beneath Tokyo.

At the time, I focused on the concept of creating colour and texture through extraction. 

This was to mimic the process of Hatakeyama’s images. His images exposed the beauty and texture of an underground natural world with a single light source.

Using a selection of black woven and knitted fabrics, I created texture and colour through different colour bleaching processes.

These fabrics have sat unused and unseen since I graduated. 

I wanted to find a way to incorporate the knowledge and experience I have gained from many years of working with knitwear, with a way to showcase the beauty of some of my original fabrics.

So I made an evening dress. I have combined the woven fabrics with knitted panels. The integral properties of the knit mean it doesn’t need fastenings and will fit smoothly over the body. The woven fabrics add volume and help create a larger silhouette.

I showed the dress during the Royal College of Art’s staff Hidden exhibition in 2018.