Rugile Lipnickyte

Fashion Design - BA (Hons)

As long as I can remember I wished to pursue a future in the fashion industry, I have always been interested in fashion and how a choice of clothing can show who you are, what you are and especially how it helps you express yourself as you.

Since my GCSE’S I realised that there is so much to learn about the industry, including how many different paths you can go down in fashion, from designing to styling to sewing and much more. I have always loved the history of Coco channel the brand and the creator, she changed fashion for women, she produced looser clothing, less attention to the waist, she helped introduce ladies smart wear starting with beautiful wool blazer sets. I have always loved the idea that there is more than what meets the eye, it relates to fashion a lot as fashion can be either seen as a piece of clothing or a work of art.

My designing has always been inspired by oversized clothing, to allow women to feel comfortable in their clothing, freer in their own bodies. My work means a lot to me as it always includes a big piece of who I am.

My collection is about the feeling of father abandonment specifically during the early years of my childhood, as I experienced the feeling of being all alone when I was a child even with a wonderful mum, siblings and friends I have always had a hole inside me. A quote from my collection statement ‘Built up explosive childhood memories, the good and the bad’ relates to the emotions represented in my print throughout the collection.

The focus of my work is the print that is seen throughout the whole collection, the print represents all the emotions and memories that I have from childhood; the good and the bad. The print features bright colours also as darker colours to represent the positive and the negative.

I designed an oversized, womenswear collection; the oversized clothing represents a shield used to protect yourself from the world, like an extra layer of skin protecting you.

My work was inspired by '90s streetwear specifically hip pop as the clothing were oversized and comfortable from straight leg trousers to extremely oversized tops and jackets.