Whalers in South Georgia

Lauren Broome specialises in 3D pleating in her garments. The 3D pleats are at the core of her design aesthetic and come to life most strongly when light bounces around its unique angles. The pleats bring about refreshing textures which are intensified by individualistic movement allowing the wearer to take control of the pleat patterns. It was on her placement year that Lauren found, practised and became fixated with the skill of pleating. Lauren was able to develop on new ways to pleat from her studio and by hand and thoroughly enjoys creating handmade pleat patterns to her own specifications for her collection. Lauren’s collection originated from family photographs that were found in the loft from the whaling stations on South Georgia. This led to researching heavily into whaling practises and the lives the sailors lived. Lauren took inspiration from the blazers they wore as the starting point for her collection silhouette and became one of her core pieces. Reinventing the craft drove Lauren to apply it within her garments thinking methodically about the order of construction and pleating. Lauren finishes some of her garments before pleating them which means they keep their ornate 3D shape in the final outcome.