Fashion can drive positive messages sprinkled with glitz and glam too, but what Ms Joanna Marcella Reid does internationally exceeds this charitable purpose. I had the pleasure to chat and meet her while attending the Angelman Syndrome Awareness Award, a special edition of the FDC Young Designer Awards, in Birmingham last July.
A media coverage invitation is a pleasant surprise for any editor. Still, my surprise was doubled because it was my very first event since my arrival in the UK. The message arrived directly from Joanna who’s been active in the fashion industry for decades.
Joanna is committed to giving the deserved space and acknowledgement younger independent designers. The aim of the FDC Young Designers Awards is promoting talent in a multicultural environment…
what a better stage than Birmingham for this purpose? The FDC Awards are open to fashion designers of all ages and levels, hosted in the UK and in the States, they’re the field for a lively community. The winner of an FDC award gets the privilege to exhibit in the next FDC Young Designer Awards date, which means more exposure and a pleasant trip too.
This July and for the first time, Birmingham hosted the fashion awards at the Park Regis Hotel. At the centre of a bustling spot, this glass building offered a panoramic view to the ‘city of a thousand trades’, where cultures meet and fuse together. The Birmingham edition was deeper: this FDC appointment was titled ‘Angelman Syndrome Awards’ to raise awareness on this a rare genetic condition. This topic personally touches Joanna and her family, so she’s been investing time and efforts to spread the word in her sector. The Angelman Syndrome is not well-known and shows in mental growth delays and different kind of incapacities; there are no definitive cures and those diagnosed with this syndrome require 24/7 support. Even the easier task represents a heavy deed, they struggle with daily life, yet got a contagious and joyous smile. Joanna’s dream is admirable: making fashion a channel to both convey a message and reward creativity.
The FDC Young Designer Awards addresses to a small network of fashion designers, crafters and supporters comprising family, fellow designers and enthusiasts. Every contest is made unique thanks to a stimulating brief which challenges the creatives with a brand new inspirational theme each time. On this occasion, the brief ‘Fashion meets Art’ asked the participants to look at major artists and their personal life for an innovative ‘flamboyant garment’. This event saw five young designers and final-year students as participants (Samantha Holden, Mya Subong, Shrima Khan, Marie Sansome and Sophie Williams) and three established designers as special guests (Samantha Shaw – Today Yesterday Tomorrow, Sarah O’ Rourke – SaradenDesigns, and Siobhan Thomas – What’s Your Skirt).
As I arrived at the Park Regis – once I found the right entrance – I found myself in a shiny and luxury world. I spun around in the lobby while some stunning models crossed my way to get out with the photographers. It was real. I met Joanna, and no inconvenience stopped the event resulting in an explosion of sensorial experiences. The perception of international masterpieces, the study of paintings and application of sartorial techniques still surprise me, especially considering the age and the talent of the participants.
Sophie Williams is a second-year student at the Winchester School of Art specialising in knitwork. For the emergent designer award, Sophie presented an ensemble with a crop top shirt inspired by Van Gogh’s ‘The Starry Night’. For her entry, she studied and deconstructed this famous painting by Vincent Van Gogh by transforming his plastic brush strokes into swirls of stitches and bead appliqués in a comfy 70s mood outfit… so gamine.
Samantha Holden studies fashion design and marketing at Northumbria University and took part in the competition with three dresses. For her creations, she drew inspiration from the working-class women of the Sheffield iron industry. ‘I can do it’ might echo in your mind: this mini collection honoured the ‘women of steel’, many tireless women working in Sheffield metal factories during the Second World War. Sleek silhouettes and midi dresses made of sturdy denim and futuristic metal sheen speak of empowerment and wink to the ‘future’ ‘50s… rockin’&rollin’.
A change in style and colour palette arrived on stage with the next designer: Mya Subong, Birmingham-based fresh graduate in fashion design from BCU. A magical bell sound announced her presentation… that mysterious metal tune accompanied me on my way through the Park Regis hall. Mya got inspired by Klimt and his bold, geometrical patterns that she recreated by hand printing. So far, so good, but this young designer likes to impress, and her dress was hiding a surprise. The metal sound was coming from loops kept steady with strings, when pulled off they revealed a modular dress. The gold arabesque on the inside is paired with a midnight blue and gold designed in a futuristic and daring dress… theatrical.
Another artistic statement came with Londoner Shrima Khan and her voluptuous gown calling for attention with its cascade of ruches and airy veils. This alteration with insertions of magenta silk and dainty floral motifs is a complex dress inspired by Monet’s Water Lilies series. Half dress recalls of the dreamy atmosphere – typical of these impressionistic paintings – and clashes against the scream of solid magenta… This vivid contrast tells the intimate and unfortunate story of old Claude Monet, his illness and his inability to capture the essence of colours… intense.
Through invisible curtains, I could hear a fluffy swift: the models styled by Marie Sansome stole the scene with clouds of beige, black and lilac satin… Petite and strong, Marie Sansome is from Leicester and knows how to overcome rough moments in her life and succeed: she studied fabric and garment design at the Hinckley College and was awarded as MFA IndependentDesigner of the Year 2018. This emergent designer gave shape to an impalpable elegance with her three models stepping into the room with the grace of Degas’ ballerinas… dreamy.
Time was tyrannising, and of the three guests designers, there was enough time solely for two of them. However, I have plenty of space and time for them if you got the patience to follow me…
WhatsYourSkirt is a question and a warm invitation to find your true self. Skirts are the evergreen feminine symbol, but Siobhan Thomas crafts something more than a skirt, a piece that adapts to your body rather than the commercial way. Vintage memories, African patterns and tartan dress Siobhan’s ‘confident ladies’ in the UK and across the seas…
Today.Yesterday.Tomorrow is designed by Samantha Shaw and her ethical take on fashion. She presented a capsule collection in the shade of denim blue with dresses and overalls. Her creations are young, unpretentiously cool and – most of all – handcrafted and recycled. Samantha loves denim and mastered how to alter, restore and give new life to old pieces…
SaradenDesigns flew all the way from Ireland to Birmingham for Joanna’s event and was nothing but a surprise. During the FDC Young Designer Awards, roles turned upside down in a joyous ‘Carnevale’: the designers played as models and with the models for Sarah O’ Rourke, milliner nominee of the year 2019. Sarah studied Fine Sculptural Arts, and her formation gave her a solid base and loads of inspiration for her millinery collections. Every piece is a work of art: fabrics are one-of-a-kind, designed and hand-printed specifically on occasion by Sarah, while the structures are handcrafted as little sculptures. Each creation is completely handcrafted, unique and unrepeatable. The collection brought at the Park Regis is called ‘Oceanic Nature’, a palette of sea green and blue is paired with the velvety grey of her own dresses. Inspired by the sea and the movement of marine flora: sponges, corals, algae and anemones come to a new life.
Can you imagine my surprise when I found out to be dressed almost like the models? I didn’t know if blushing and hiding or joining in the company…
This event was quite a surprise: the photographer – Renata Clarke – and us, the bloggers, had the hard duty to analyse the collection and announce the winner on the base of five factors including creativity, sartorial skills and effect. A tricky choice: one prize, five designers and three designers already in my mind. We all agreed at the end… The FDC runner-up was Shrima Khan with her Ardour London: she didn’t just follow the brief to perfection, but she went an extra mile. She told a moving human story on fabrics! The first prize went to Mya Subong and her well-deserved, surprising creation. This shy and creative soul combined production skills and art study in a multiways and transforming piece that surprised judges and the attendants. That creation owns the ‘wow effect’ we were looking for.
Even though time was relatively tight, Joanna succeeded in her FDC Young Designer Awards: the audience enjoyed the presentation and left the venue with a new consciousness. The Angelman Syndrome Presentation rewarded the spirit and talent of these young students with the hope to launch them towards a brighter future. Passion and imagination filled the air at the Park Regis, but – on the background – I captured the happiness of those meeting again their backstage friends. This summer, I discovered the unknown side of the fashion industry: a network of human treads inwoven with warmth and imagination.
Valentina Chirico aka Valens
To read more about the Angelman Syndrome and discover how to support the research, this resource might be helpful: angelmanuk.org
Among those attending the FDC Young Designer Awards
models: Monika, Apurva Ashok, Haye Haddy, Meggy, Natasha
bloggers: Gemm (site), Miss_Gelato (site)
makeup artist: Sara Vakil
photographer: Renata Clarke
