Rebecca McCabe’s exploration of how our relationship with formal put on has modified because of the pandemic has earned her some of the invaluable scholar awards of the 12 months.
he 22-year-old from Rochfortbridge in Co Westmeath has been awarded the distinguished €four,000 NCAD Brown Thomas ‘Designer to Watch’ Grant which identifies and mentors future expertise.
The post-pandemic state of trend reveals a continued need for informalization. Rebecca explored a hybrid, with glamorous sportswear that provides most put on, the place consolation is essential.
“Over the course of the pandemic, I seen how individuals have been reacting to and interacting with their clothes, and that individuals have been not prepared to sacrifice consolation for fashion,” says Rebecca.
Their ‘Pookie’ assortment explores streetwear with elevated textures that can be worn to an enormous occasion. Taking part in with textures, she explored pairings, mixing the elegant with the informal, like lycra with leather-based.
“It is that concept that they’ll intersect and create a way more transitional wardrobe that is actually essential so you may get probably the most out of your items and be capable to costume them from prime to backside,” Rebecca stated.
“I do not even suppose we’re leaving formal behind, I believe we’re creating a brand new hybrid between formal put on and a extra informal approach of dressing and what’s actually popping out is consolation. That is one thing that individuals wish to preserve.” whereas nonetheless wanting fairly glam, I believe it leaves us with this new space to fill with garments.
“Now it is so acceptable to put on tennis sneakers with a costume, whereas a few years in the past it won’t have been. It is nice as a result of when you really feel comfy, you’ll really feel a lot happier with your self and have rather more confidence when carrying garments,” he stated. Rebecca.
The style design senior in NCAD’s Graduate Assortment was praised by the judges for her creativity and innovation and intelligent use of supplies.
Rebecca created her personal paper-effect cloth by bonding three layers together with silk, vilene, and an orange polyurethane waterproof cloth that acts as the liner of her coat.
The silhouettes are outsized and two coats are laser minimize and have the macrame knotting method as a option to join the garment.
They have been paired with two lycra appears to be like, together with a cream bodycon costume with mesh panels and a print she created with machine embroidery and a navy blue lycra jumpsuit with a tailor-made print.
“I believe they’re fairly adaptable items. I believe the embroidery aspect added to the underside of the cream lycra costume makes it extra of a proper put on and you would put on it with heels or sneakers on a daily foundation.
Exploring how our relationship with formal put on has modified, Rebecca says, “I believe individuals discovered a extremely good stability between sporty leisure and extra formal costume and it turned extra acceptable to put on extra informal garments to formal occasions.
You possibly can see on the MET Gala and lots of reveals that sports activities leisure was turning into a way more common choice and I assumed it may very well be a brand new path to observe.”
Typical of the comfortable pink carpet pattern, she names the outfit “beautiful” worn within the 2021 Met Gala look worn by Emma Emhoff.
The high-profile mannequin, trend graduate and stepdaughter of US Vice President Kamala Harris wore a Stella McCartney pink diamond mesh jumpsuit and matching pants and adidas by Stella McCartney sneakers for the occasion themed ‘ In America: A Style Lexicon’.
The Brown Thomas Scholarship provides €four,000 in money, mentorship from an govt and a spot subsequent month on the CREATE truthful within the Grafton Road retailer. Patrons can view Rebecca’s outsized items with knotted rope threaded by holes she hand-punched right into a coat and jacket with an axe and hammer.
Shelly Corkery, Style Shopping for Director, Brown Thomas Arnotts praised Rebecca’s assortment as “completely distinctive”.
“There have been extraordinary particulars in her assortment that created such a stupendous distinction. I beloved the way in which that Rebecca put all of it collectively, particularly when she expressed her sense of coloration together with her macramé over leather-based and likewise her outsized coat which is extremely fashionable and really various.”
Earlier winners of this ‘Designer to Watch’ grant embrace Laoise Carey of Co Tipperary, who gained in 2017 and now has her solely namesake label devoted to sustainability in trend, utilizing the whole lot from previous linen drapes to lace doilies.
The 2020 winner, Una Curran, impressed together with her assortment impressed by chicken flight patterns and the thought of fashionable surveillance, whereas Aideen Gaynor gained in 2016 with a set impressed by Haruki Murakami’s novel, Finish of the World.
