TAYLOR PUMPHREY
Taylor (21), who is from Tasman, Nelson, grew up in a very creative household where her mother taught her to sew when she was a child.
‘‘My sisters and I were true Barbie and Bratz fanatics.’’
It led to her taking fashion design in high school and working parttime at a clothing alterations shop, which motivated her to consider studying design and pursuing a career in fashion.
‘‘My graduate collection, ‘Tangible’, explores the sense of touch and its relationship to our emotions: how touch informs our perception and understanding of the world from both a survival and emotional perspective. This sense provides a constant stream of information, and doesn’t ask permission. With touch as our guide, we are both protected and at our most vulnerable, psychically and emotionally. We can feel love, pain, comfort and fear — a direct link between body and soul.
‘‘Considered also from a phenomenological perspective, this collection looks at the space between the tangible and intangible. The garment exists in its own space around the wearer.
How these garments are worn and perceived is a combination of the wearer's choice and the fabrics’ desires; they can coexist.
‘‘Details of ties and wrapping are included in my designs, as a reference to embrace. However, they are also mechanical, they allow the fabrics to take on a variety of silhouettes and purpose. The garment may be secure and contained, loose and free, or even a combination of the two. When creating this collection, I visualised each piece during the process of dressing and undressing. On, it is a garment, hugging the body and draping in relation to the form. Off, it loses its specific design, moves freely, takes on other shapes and drapes intuitively. I imagined their form hung over a chair or left clumsily on the floor.
‘‘As a designer, I am particularly interested in womenswear and drawn towards textile experimentation and conceptuallydriven design. I am detailoriented and appreciate thoughtful design, using carefully considered fabrications. I aim to design consciously and thoughtfully with social and environmental impact in mind, valuing quality and wearability.’’