Epson has announced the two winners of the ‘Outstanding Use of Print in Textiles’ competition and as part of the awards package, both winners were invited to participate in an Epson design project, creating a collection of interior décor or fashion designs using dye sublimation printing, which will then be showcased on an Epson stand at a trade exhibition over the next 12 months.
The first prize went to Molly-Mae Brissett-Haigh, a graduate from the Textile Design facility at the University of Edinburgh for her highly-innovative ‘Blessing in Disguise’ fashion collection.
Lucy Hope, Glasgow School of Art graduate, was the runner-up with her ‘Happi’ fashionwear for children and adults, inspired by a unique blending of play, imagination, creativity and colour.
Brissett-Haigh and Hope will present their initial concepts to the Epson team in the UK and work them up into finished designs, with each winner then taken to Epson Europe’s design, demonstration and production facility in Paris, where they will spend two days printing the output. Each designer will also have the opportunity to use up to 20 metres of materials from this visit for their own use.
Heather Kendle, market development manager of Epson Europe said, ‘The standard of textile design at this year’s New Designers Exhibition was breath-taking. There was an incredible range of styles, designs and innovations on show, all proving that digital print and dye sublimation printing has opened up such a wide range of possibilities for those fashion and décor designers wishing to push the boundaries of what is possible in print. Finding just two winners was a challenging task, but the judging panel all felt the chosen winners really stood out as they had each, in their own diverse way, designed highly creative, inspiring and intelligent fashion collections with great stories behind them.’
Brissett-Haigh used various pleating methods, smocking and gathering to hide and reveal prints. They are digitally printed and engineered to be manipulated and contrasted within one piece of fabric. The samples on show at the New Designers Exhibition, a mix of large/small scale floral arrangements and parterre flourishes, were not full garments but gave an illusion of dresses, skirts and tops, which when worn, moved and showed the ‘blessing in disguise’. The samples ranged from dark to light, with the gradients also a nod to those used by the Dutch Mastershelping to represent the journey moving from inside to out.
Hope’s Happi collection promoted the importance of imagination through creativity and play for children and adults. The inspiration behind the project was the fascination she has with how children communicate through imagination, unintimidated by the self-conscious restrictions of society. Researching the Scandinavian education system; where children start school at the age of seven, and focusing their early years on play, Lucy created a collection aimed at encouraging both children and adults to maintain their playfulness, creativity and fun.
Brissett-Haigh said. ‘The New Designers Exhibition was a fantastic showcase for my work and I am very grateful to have been chosen as a winner of the Epson ‘Outstanding Use of Print in Textiles’ Award. The opportunity to work with a brand like Epson on a live project will be an invaluable experience, especially as my next step is to start seeking employment within the design sector. It will give me great wide-ranging experience in industrial printing and manufacturing processes, something I know will aid me and my future in the industry.’
‘I’m overjoyed to have been given the award by Epson and very much looking forward to working with the team over the coming months. I think we are only on the cusp of understanding how far the industry can go with digital and dye sublimation textile printing so it’s great to be working with a company that has so much expertise in this area. The skills and knowledge I will take away from the partnership will be critical to the next stage of my growth as a designer,’ commented Hope.
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EPSON www.epson.eu/en/
