Can leather alternatives be as durable as the real thing?
In the thousands of years leather has been in use, there has never been a serious contender to rival it for durability. Have any of the new materials offered as alternatives come close?
Name: Katie Griffith Morgan
Education: Fashion BA Hons, Edinburgh College of Art (UK)
Specialisms: Fashion/ Womenswear/ Sustainable Fashion Textiles
“This design is titled ‘Through the Lens’, and is an extension of my graduate collection which aims to blend the traditional tactile past and the intangible digital future through modern craftsmanship.”
Inspired by the often discarded photonegative and the private, intimate memories that they contain, Katie looks to her personal photo album collection to inspire this collection. She explores the value we have on physical copies of our memories, as we fear them being lost or forgotten on the internet one day. She is also intrigued by the strange intimacy of owning other people’s sentimental objects. To convey this, she has etched leather using a laser to create delicate photographic images upon the surface.
Her final coat design features a full red semi-aniline cow hide using lasering technique. The statement structured neckline and sleeves are laced with red suede lacing and silver eyelets. Other seams are sewn and topstitched with structural draped sleeves. The centre of the coat also features an exposed chunky, silver zip.
In the thousands of years leather has been in use, there has never been a serious contender to rival it for durability. Have any of the new materials offered as alternatives come close?
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