Kirsten MacLeod: Fashion showcase
Kirsten MacLeod, a third-year fashion design major from Melbourne, Florida. Photo by Crosby Ignasher.
What was your process from inception to completion?
I started [out wanting] to do historical costume. That was my dream. So I wanted to do something with a historical aspect in it. I looked at historical reference images and Michael Fink came in during our first senior class and reviewed our stuff and basically told us to stay away from the historical stuff, so I was like, “Okay, where do I go from there?” I then found these paper craft wigs from the Paper Craft Project, which was based out of Atlanta and I kind of drew my silhouettes from the wig styles. … It’s been a long process. I’m excited to show people what I’ve been working hard on.
Can you explain what the Paper Craft Project is?
They make wigs and different craft stuff out of paper. They just use construction paper and it looks really cool. And they have done Bergdorf [Goodman] and big department stores and the Valentino fashion show a couple years ago, so I just kind of drew most of my inspiration from there.
What was the experience like?
… There was a week where my professor was gone because he had a family emergency, so we had an intern professor and I was trying to get this professor to help me. I was so stuck and it was really hard for me to come up with designs, especially because I had taken classes continuously for the last summer and then this year. I was burnt out and had trouble coming up with stuff. I found those wigs and just started sketching and apparently I came out with stuff people like.
What inspires you?
Historical stuff. I have bag pockets used for gowns from the 17th century in one of my dresses and I have my interpretation of a hobble skirt.
What is your aesthetic? What are you trying to accomplish?
I don’t really have an aesthetic. … Part of my process was drawing things that were not typical silhouettes. I don’t want to try anything that’s A-line—I don’t want the typical shape. I don’t care if it fits and forms to the body. One of my models can’t move her arms, which is why I gave her pockets. I don’t want it to be ready to wear; I want it to be more conceptual. I just want stuff that’s out of the box. I know nothing is new, but I am trying to get there. I don’t want my clothing to be wearable. I want it to be art. There are bits that are very wearable. If you took a top and made it a shorter skirt, it would be very wearable.
Are you nervous about the show? How do you feel? What are you thinking?
I’m nervous that my models will fall over. My skirts have elastic at the bottom so that they can walk, but they are very straight. One of my models from the original critiques wore shoes that my skirt would catch on the bottom and I was afraid that it wasn’t going to go to jury because one of the models almost tripped. … We got SCAD student models to do all of our draping, sizing critique stuff. Now, for the fashion show, they’ve hired actual models who walk better and who are taller. Two of my models have done the fashion show before, but we have a couple of freshman [who] don’t really understand the process. This model couldn’t really walk and she kind of hunched her shoulders, so that was the only difficult part … Most of them were really great girls. I’ve done multiple photo shoots with them and they’ve worked around my schedule to be there and sit there and wait for each other to get hair and makeup done. …
How has this prepared you for the future?
I feel like I can accomplish anything in a very short amount of time now. There’s at least one dress … that had the hardest trouble and there were so many things that had to be solved in four days. And I was like, “All right, it has to be finished and I’m going to figure this out and I’m going to find a way to do it.” … Somebody liked it, so I feel like I can probably accomplish anything at this point. …
Any professional experience?
I had an internship here while I was taking classes because I went from being a sophomore to a senior. I really only had the opportunity to have an internship here. It was more of an alteration shop with some custom dresses. I learned what it’s like to run your own business. I wish I had the opportunity to go to New York and intern for someone who I could then work for because I don’t really want to live in Savannah.
When did you decide to pursue a career in fashion?
I started sewing in 7th grade with hand stitching little things like my converse sneakers, which I still have. I even sewed my initials into them. My high school had a fashion class that I took for all four years and it taught me how to do basic things like Joanne’s patterns and I learned how to thread a suture, which I still do use here when most people can’t. When I came here and took fashion tech, I was like, “I know how to do that!” I appreciate that a lot. We didn’t really do any draping or anything like that, but it was a very artsy school, thankfully…
What are some of most pressing issues facing today’s fashion designers, models and accessory designers?
People willing to spend money on good quality clothes, fast fashion trends and adopting those trends too quickly so anything of real value gets trickled down too fast. You don’t really get your work shown. There’s so many other schools and fashion design has become one of the least useful degrees—according to one of those websites—because there are so many out there. … Competition is probably the biggest issue, finding your niche so you can show that you’re really good at this, and this is why I’ll be better than this person for this job. Find what sets you apart.
Do you have any advice for future designers?
Don’t let yourself get burned out. I think a lot of my friends have had that trouble. Find inspiration in little things. Don’t always listen to your professors. Do always listen to your professors. Find which ones to give you the right advice. Listen to the sewing techs because they know what they’re talking about.
