GFF Talent: Ellis Cynthia Whitehurst's Ode To The Midlands

Meet Ellis Cynthia Whitehurst, a fashion design graduate at De Montfort University. Inspired by her home town in the Midlands, Ellis’ collection taps into streetwear culture, workwear, and cultural references from the 80s that uses denim while keeping sustainable design practices at the forefront of the collection. Read on to learn more about Ellis’ work and plans for the future.

What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university?
The most valuable thing I can take from my university experience is to do what you love and be yourself while you're doing it. I have met incredibly talented designers and creators on my journey and that is all because I study a subject that I love and they share that passion too. My closest friends are people I have worked alongside and it has been a privilege to see them excel so far. I am so excited to see them progress and keep in touch with them on my own career path.

What was the starting point of inspiration for your final project?
The starting point of my final collection was my own Capsule collection. My main inspiration is my hometown of Stoke-On-Trent. Stoke is a city in the Midlands known mainly for its pottery industry. Taking industrial elements from vintage workwear and combining this with the idea of broken pottery turning into broken garments, I was able to start designing for my collection. For initial silhouette ideas, I used typical workwear garments; denim jackets and vintage dungarees to fuel my design process. Looking at existing workwear-inspired me to research TV and film that feature historical elements of workwear.

One of the first films that was prominent through my research was Soul Boy, a film based in Stoke-On-Trent that heavily features denim and industrial garments. Another film that is heavily referenced in my collection is Billy Elliot, following the coal miners strikes of the 1980s and Thatcher’s Britain. Both men and women wear double denim outfits and I was able to take a lot of inspiration from this. As well as workwear references through TV and film, I was able to draw inspiration from working-class people that feature heavily alongside workwear garments. Tracksuits, bomber jackets and bleached denim were all things that I was able to take from films such as This Is England and Trainspotting.

From both Trainspotting and Soul Boy, I took bound vests and sportswear into my design process. My own memories of Stoke have completely changed from years ago as a lot of the pottery industry has now died out. With this, I was able to add family photos and my own memories of what Stoke once was to gain colour palette idea. Through adding my own memories and collecting primary research from Stoke-On-Trent as it is today, the main colours I picked out were blue, yellow and pink. When sustainably fabric sourcing, I was able to narrow down what tones of these colours I wanted to use alongside various shades of denim blues and cotton drills.

What form will your final project take?
My collection will consist of four garments and will heavily feature denim and other workwear fabrics such as waxed cottons and cotton drills. I have always loved working with denim and I especially enjoy creating fluid shapes with ridged materials. From my own capsule collection garments that I have taken inspiration from, I experimented with handkerchief hems and manipulation of typical denim workwear. I would describe my own design style as a juxtaposition of masculine and feminine silhouettes. Style inspirations for my designer handwriting would be Alexander McQueen and Maison Margiela as I love their use of cutting traditional shapes with unexpected materials and fabric manipulation.

My collection features jeans, denim jackets and dresses that have all been draped, broken and manipulated in different ways. A big driver for reoccurring shapes in my collection are dungaree straps and how they can be used on different parts of the body. The V shape of the dungaree strap can be created in many ways and I have thoroughly enjoyed experimenting with various construction methods. I have always been a very technical designer therefore I enjoy researching pre-2000s collections to gain inspiration and to see what already exists. Many things have been revisited in current collections, for example, inspiration has been taken from Vivienne Westwood 1997 collection where corsets were made from denim, using welt seams to create a street style aesthetic with a feminine item.

Another collection that I gained a lot of inspiration from was the Hussein Chalayan A/W 1999/2000 collection where a lot of denim was showcased in cut out and manipulated shapes. Distorting the typical idea of a garment is very appealing from a consumer point of view as everyone already knows what a pair of jeans is supposed to look like. Adding creative elements for instance button stands along seam allows the wearing to customise the style of the garment and wear the garment in more than one way. Interchangeable elements feature throughout my collection with options to make jeans and cuffs shorter or twisting seams at the sides of the leg or from the elbow.

What materials have you used and how did you source them?
At De Montfort, I applied for the Roadley Award where I could express my passion for sustainability through fabric sourcing. I was awarded £250 to use towards my final fabrics and with this, I was able to source various denim and waxed cotton fabrics in London. I was able to work closely with Misan West to buy designer offcuts and deadstock fabrics from their Goldhawk road store. I also found end roll denim pieces that I would be able to use for my final garments as a lot of my designs are panelled.  Through attending the Kingpins Denim conference that was held in December 2019, I met Rowan Hunt, a former Menswear denim researcher at Debenhams.

Rowan guided me a lot in my own denim research and I was able to work with Indigo textiles who he is currently working with. Indigo is a Denim Mill that is thinking of innovative ways of creating sustainable denim fibres. Some of their fabrics include soybean fibre and Post-Consumer Waste where excess denim is shredded to create new fibres to weave with. Following the Kingpins event, I was invited to attend the Denim Première Vision showcase and I was able to choose which fabrics I liked from Indigo textiles. I was also able to go to the YKK stall and they gave me a small quantity of the new denim shank button.

These buttons are specifically screw fastening so that after the life of the garment, the buttons can be removed and a 100% cotton garment would be 100% compostable.  For other fastenings throughout my collection, I have used metal, open and closed-ended zips. For all zip sourcing, I was able to visit Thomas Firth, a fastening and accessories supplier based in Leicester. I worked closely with Thomas Firth on my placement year so I was able to keep in contact with them. The Leicester Warehouse had a lot of deadstock zips that would never be used in large productions so I was able to have various double-ended and YKK jean zips to use for my collection.

How has it evolved from your initial ideas and what have you learnt along the way?
My initial ideas for the collection were very standard jackets and jeans as those two garments are what I would associate denim with. The more I was able to develop my designs and was able to research existing garments, I introduced multiple collaged garments. This allowed my designs to progress into more layered pieces. For my first outfit a top, cropped jacket, overskirt and jeans all feature. All of these garments can be worn separately and have individual appeal which is something I have learnt throughout my review and design process. CAD is a crucial skill to have and demonstrate when designing a full collection. Illustrations are a great way to communicate designs in an artist context.

However, balancing illustrative designs with CAD-style techniques are key to communicate clear ideas, design details and aspirations for the final pieces. I have enjoyed designing technically and drawing thumbnails of design details that I have taken from an initial design idea. I have learnt to draw more from one design to process front, back and side views to gain a complete idea of each piece in one outfit.  Learning more about the inspiration for an entire collection came from visiting the Alexander McQueen Flagship store in London to see first-hand what would inspire him for iconic collections. From this, I could see that stimulus can come from multiply things; Art, photography, primary images, historical garments and own life experiences.  Another important thing that I have learnt is that it is vital to devise a collection muse early on. If a designer is creating a collection, it is critical that there is a market for the products and a consumer that will be interested in buying the products. My muse for the collection is Billie Eilish mainly for her street style aesthetic and masculine/feminine style.

What are the messages and themes behind your project that you want people to take away? Do explore any topics like diversity, sustainability or politics in your work?
The main message from my collection would be the sustainability aspect. I believe that as a designer, you shouldn’t have to compromise on design to include sustainable practice. Designers of today should be constantly thinking about how one aspect of their company or supply chain could implement sustainability. Through sustainable fabric sourcing, I have been able to source fabrics that are extremely unique as they are either designer offcuts or end roll fabrics. For example, a mustard waxed cotton that I bought from Misan was a small end roll. Because of the exclusivity of this fabric, I believe it gives my designs individuality and this is something that I hope can translate in my final garments.

Because all of my fabrics are sustainable, it also doesn’t have to mean that fabrics are highly-priced either. Following my capsule collection, knowing that I was wanting to use offcuts and end roll pieces, I started to ask fellow design students if the had any types of denim or workwear materials. Students began to find denim, drills and waxed materials that they knew they wouldn’t want to use for future projects. Through this, I was able to pay them and take something off their hands that they no longer needed. This was extremely positive for both of us and I believe this could be something that happens a lot more regularly in the industry.

If local suppliers were able to create group chats or even promote their interests or requirements on social media, the flow of excess stock could become a lot more circular. The Ellen Macarthur foundation has created a circular economy initiative that they are encouraging companies to take part in. After researching this initiative thoroughly throughout my capsule and final collection, I believe this is something that every brand could strive towards. The more fashion companies want to take part, the more help brands would gain on both sides of the supply chain. This may be from a large brand offering offcut fabric or a small brand offering production staff to help throughout busy periods in the industry.

What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
Sourcing fabrics in a sustainable way is a huge part of my designer handwriting at present and is something that I want to take into my career. The waste in our industry is spoken about in such a bad light and a lot of the time, reporters don't focus on the positives. In the last 10 years, there has been a slow push for sustainable products. However, in the last 2 years, the demand has been rapid due to the current climate crisis. Working in a fast fashion supplier for my placement year, I was able to see first-hand the amount of fabric waste that currently exists and it has made me work in a more sustainable way for my final year. I hope to carry out sustainable practice throughout my time in the industry in whichever direction that may be.

Also, I hope that the Ellen Macarthur circular economy initiative can become embedded in every single fashion company in the world. This will take years of change and I am excited to be starting my journey at this time to see the changes throughout the industry. Educating the consumer on what they are buying and where and how their clothes are made is a vital part of starting or working for a brand. Full transparency should feed through the supply chain and with my own collection and future designs, I will embed full transparency.

This should include fabric sourcing, production, transportation of garments and fabrics, delivery methods and packaging. An extensive list for customers to familiarise themselves with could benefit the circular economy initiative. As I am wanting to specialise in womenswear denim following degree, I am excited to see brand smaller brands like Blue of a kind and Fade Out leading the way for bigger brands to focus of renewable and sustainable policies. Using product such as fabrics, hardware and fastenings that already exist is an amazing way of contributing towards a more sustainable economy.

What is your plan once you finish your BA?
On graduating, I have secured an internship with the sustainable denim brand E.L.V Denim. Based in London, Net-a-Porter are one of their stockists and the brand has featured in Marie Claire and Vogue. Creating denim pieces from only vintage, their main aim is to salvage garments that would have otherwise been sent to landfill. I am so excited to have this opportunity in the fashion industry and I am hoping that this can lead the way for other sustainable opportunities in the future. To design for myself or for a company that prides themselves on sustainable practice would be key for my future goals as a womenswear denim designer.

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Skills

Fashion Design