FASHION DESIGNER ANDREW BELL TALKS TO MARGARET RODDY
DUNDALK FASHION DESIGNER ANDREW BELL TALKS TO MARGARET RODDY ABOUT THE INSPIRING TEACHERS WHO ENCOURAGED HIM TO FOLLOW HIS VISION
IT’S no surprise that Dundalk fashion designer Andrew Bell has been included in the Irish Times’ list of ‘50 people to watch in 2019: Ireland’s hottest young talent.’ Now in the final year of a two-year MA course at the world famous Royal College of Art in London, the 27-year-old has been making headlines for some time now, catching the attention of fashion editors and bloggers.
The Carrick Road native says he owes his passion for fashion to his teachers at Dunalk Grammar School, where he went after attending St Malachy’s NS.
‘I have fantastic memories of my years in the Grammar School art room,’ he says. ‘Jacqui Gray and Róisín Cox were an inspiration to me, and were always putting new visuals under my nose.’
He explains that Tóisín was the first person to show him how to thread a sewing machine.
‘She was always sharing images by Érte and Tamara de Lempicta, I was obsessed with these Art Deco images at the time,’ he remembers. ‘ Jacqui also had a beautiful collection of old National Geographic magazines, some that dated back as far as the 1930s right through to the ‘ 50s and 60s.’ ‘I loved the fashion imagery in these magazines and when I left school Jacqui let me pick six, one for each year I had studied there. They are among my most prized possessions still.’
These teachers encouraged him when he was applying to the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), and helped him prepare his portfolio.
‘Looking back it was a very exciting and formative time for me; it was like discovering and learning your own visual language for the first time.’
He was short listed for the Persil Irish Fashion Awards in 2014 while he was a second year student -a early indication that his talent would attract attention.
Andrew loved his time at NCAD. ‘It was a very different college back then, there were only 15 people in my class in fashion,and we had a lot of one-on-one teaching from the tutors there. I learned a lot and gained excellent skills in cutting and construction which allowed me to materialise my ideas.’
While still a student, he honed his skills as an intern with J.W.Anderson, the internationally renowned award-winning London-based brand.
Just two weeks after graduating from NCAD, he started working as a design assistant for Dunnes Stores. ‘
I gained fantastic ‘real world’ experience there, and had the chance to work directly with the creative Director Carolyn Donnelly on her brand ‘ The Edit’. It was really inspiring to work for someone that has her own clothing and homewares brand, alongside her role as creative director of the entire company,’ he recalls.
He then took the bold step of leaving the job to launch ‘Pulling Strings, a collaborative fashion and multimedia instal- lation, which he staged in spring 2016, which raised his profile in the fashion industry.
Fast forward to now and Andrew is currently studying an MA in Fashion
at the Royal College of Art in London, which ranks as the world’s number one postgraduate art and design institution.
‘ The Masters is a two year long course and I was lucky enough to win the Kildare Village Fashion Scholarship which allowed me to take my place there. The scholarship is worth £20,000 which covers the full fees for two years.’
‘I still pinch myself sometimes when I think about how much money that is! It really is a life changing scholarship and it means a lot to be supported by a company from home,’ he says.
It means he can concentrate on preparing for his degree show without worrying about money.
Andrew appreciates the college’s location in the heart of Kensington and its amazing views over Hyde Park and the Royal Albert Hall, which will be the venue for college’s graduation ceremony in July.
‘ The last year and a half have been a whirlwind of creative opportunities and experiences,’ he says. ‘In my first year I had the opportunity to work with machines that I didn’t know existed , like sonic welding and taping machines,’ he explains. ‘I am now fusing these new technologies with my traditional background in tailoring; creating what I hope will be a new form of luxury tailoring, or a “future tailoring aesthetic”.
This means that the pieces he is creating are entirely made without sewing or thread.
‘I am also working on a print collaboration with a student from the textiles department and I am dying all of my own fabrics to the exact colours that I want. Again all of the facilities at the Royal College of Art mean that almost anything is possible.
Last year, the students had the opportunity to work on an eyewear project, which saw Andrew designing a collection and making a final prototype by hand.
‘I had no idea how specialised and technical eyewear design could be, and I really enjoyed the project.’
This year the students are working on a very conceptual fragrance competition, which will see three winners travel to Paris to have their fragrance produced in April, so Andrew is keeping his fingers crossed that he will be among the lucky winners.
At the moment Andrew is working non-stop towards his main collection for the college’s graduate show which will be due in June.
‘ There will be many long nights between now and then though!’
He plans on keeping his options open when he completes his studies although it’s safe to say that we will be hearing a lot more about him.
‘I would love to work in a design house in Pairs or Milan, or maybe I’ll stay in London and continue to develop my own design work,’ he says.
Those interesting in following Andrew’s journey in the coming months should check out his instagram account @andrew_bell_design.
IT REALLY IS A LIFE CHANGING SCHOLARSHIP AND IT MEANS A LOT TO BE SUPPORTED BY A COMPANY FROM HOME