Profile: Freya Burton – Real Leather Design Competitions

Freya Burton

Manchester Met University

Fashion Design BFA

Womenswear, Haute Couture, Atelier - Pattern Cutting

My graduate collection has been an investigation into my love of the natural world which stems from my upbringing in the countryside where I spent my formative years developing my fascination and appreciation for the natural world. My designs are predominately inspired by the animal bones I have collected from my rural area. I am attracted by the various irregular forms, structures, and symmetry of the bones. The shapes of the bones with their contours and negative spaces are the things that I am particularly interested in capturing in my work.My practice is very process based and I find making and forming a 3D sculptural garment to fit the figure a very interesting and sometimes challenging creative process, I have learnt a lot about creating patterns from two-dimensional paper and fabric to create 3D forms. I aimed to create work that was biomorphic yet sculptural and combined my textile practice which is also a significant part of my design process, as I typically use textiles them to inform my designs, whether they are print, embroidery or surface.

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Force of Nature

Category: Apparel

Competitions: International

Spending my formative years living in the countryside has developed my fascination in the natural world and appreciation for it. I am constantly discovering different objects in the countryside that I find interesting and inspiring. I think that being surrounded by nature has had a subconscious impact on me, and therefore it is the main source of inspiration for my collection. I have specifically used these natural objects, such as bones that I have collected to inform my design work because I am drawn to their forms, structures, and symmetry. My print is taken from my investigation into the Chladni figures, which I have made into a repeat pattern to be used on the surface of the garment. I wanted to make a garment from a material that was malleable but also robust enough to keep the shapes firm at edges. I didn’t want to use any synthetic leather because it is not sustainable, or durable and ultimately degrades into microplastics. As leather is a by-product from the meat industry and a natural material it is more sustainable than pleather. So I decided to use leather as it met my criteria for being versatile, hard wearing, comes in lots of thicknesses, surface textures and colour ways. I have chosen to use orange cow hide for this top.