Meet Francesca Merrick, Range Plan Award Winner at GFW22. She studied Menswear Fashion Design and Technology at Manchester Fashion Institute.
How do you feel about winning a GFW22 award?
I鈥檓 so grateful to win the fashion range plan award! It鈥檚 really proved to me that hard work pays off and validated to me that my work is unique and exciting!
What was the inspiration starting point for your award-winning FMP?
My FMP stemmed from researching into my Scottish heritage, discovering where my family came from and the curlier around it! I wanted to make sure my Scottish heritage isn鈥檛 lost in modern-day culture and reviving the life within it.
What skills did you learn and develop during the production of your FMP?
Throughout my FMP I learned a lot about building a range that is cohesive and creative. Making a collection of interchangeable garments that all look great together was a skill I developed productively.
What were some challenges that you faced in producing your FMP and how did you overcome these?
During my project, I faced a few challenges but thankfully my FMP turned out exactly how I wanted. I spent ages trying to source the technical fabric I wanted and then getting it printed was a huge challenge, because I couldn鈥檛 find what I wanted I developed a method to create a technical fabric printed in my designs and then bonded it 2 layers together. Essentially creating my own fabric!
Are there any messages or major themes in your FMP that you want people to take away? If so, how did you choose to communicate with them?
The main message I want people to take away from my collection is not to lose your own heritage and make the history behind your family present. Ensuring that in our modern-day society our families鈥� stories are not lost.
What is an aspect of the fashion industry that you want to help improve or have a positive impact on?
I would love, as almost every designer should, to make the industry sustainable. Garments with more effort and time put into them like in 鈥� slow fashion鈥� should most easily accessible like with renting garments, this will be a positive step in reducing fast fashion.
What form does your FMP take? Is it a collection of clothing, book, presentation, etc? If relevant, how did you source the materials for the project?
My project is in the form of a clothing collection. I created my own fabrics out of recycled polyester and the rest of my fabrics like the rip stops are all dead stock that were donated!
What are your plans for the near future (further study/ internship/ work?) now that you've finished your BA?
Find a designer role that will support my creativity as a designer !