Holly Smith

Through my research and final collection I have created my own utopian sisterhood, one that values Optimism and Joie de Vivre. For me, the new luxury is creating garments that have an emotional richness, representing the spirit of the wearer, through liberally-used colour, print and texture. My garments evoke a sense of light-heartedness. They liberate through covering the body rather than revealing while creating a sense of freedom and movement.

I’ve done a vast amount of research into how girls are affected by commercial industry, social media, and the spectrum of gender within social expectation. I have investigated how these concepts impact not only how society as a whole views ‘the female', but also the relationships women and girls have with themselves and each other.

I strongly believe that we have to hold onto our past to progress into the future so my work takes cues from key moments in women’s history, more specifically, The Suffragettes // First Wave Feminism and Riot Grrrl // Third Wave Feminism. Although these movements have had a profound effect on the rights and lives of women today it is vital that they are given a contemporary relevance.