‘The DNA of a Designer’ (Richard Quinn)
For this project (Bridge Project # 2), I chose Richard Quinn as the designer which I wanted to deconstruct and research. Using his work and his process to inspire me I approached this project with the aim to learn more about his career, his personal design process and his techniques/ attitude towards design and the industry.
Richard Quinn (born 1990) is a fashion and print designer based in London. He took his BA in ‘Fashion Print’ at Central Saint Martins graduating in 2014. Following this, he enrolled in the prestigious ‘MA Fashion’ at Central Saint Martins where he was awarded the Stella McCartney Scholarship.
Specializing in womenswear and textiles, his collections are bold and emotive creating a forward-thinking unafraid vision. Quinn creates garments with considering the incorporation of innovative fabrications, focusing on combining unique handcrafted skills with refined high fashion.
Quinn’s second collection since graduating from the Central Saint Martins went down in history as the Queen sat front row. Her audience was requested by the British Fashion Council to present Quinn with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, the award was based on Quinn’s originality and value to the community. “She kept emphasizing that the award is for young designers,” he said when talking about the experience. “That sentiment was so nice, because I was collecting it on behalf of everyone who has got me where I am, and for the studio, because it really is a young community. Our door is always open to anyone.”
Quinn has since released many very successful collections, all of which I have followed closely and been immensely inspired by. I have always been very interested in the way he approaches design and the way he manipulates fabric and uses almost garish print in a thoughtful and iconic way.
“I actually took and reworked a floral from Liberty for my final collection and I have very unassuming prints from the archive that I have blown up in acid colors and different textiles. I hope they will be springing modern ideas into the store and bringing a different audience.”- Richard Quinn on the development of his first collection (SS17)
For this project I want to take a current Liberty London print (inspired by Quinn), blow it up and digitally edit and transform it to represent something that embodies my personal aesthetic, whilst still actively considering Quinns work in an attempt to honor my research and my appreciation of his process and artistry.
I wanted to combine my aesthetic with design principles and concepts I learned from Quinn alongside developing my print design skills.
So, I took a print from Liberty London’s ‘The English Gardens collection for Spring/Summer 2020’ it features ten exclusively-designed prints inspired by the grounds of famous castles and country houses. I particularly liked working with this collection of prints since it is very relevant to me as an international (British) student and links back to my childhood which was filled with many fond memories of visiting famous stately homes and National Trust buildings.
“I don’t like anything bland or making something that already exists. There’s just no point. I like taking things that shouldn’t usually be put together and then really upping the saturation.”- Richard Quinn
‘Eltham Tana Lawn™ Cotton’ https://www.libertylondon.com/uk/eltham-tana-lawn%E2%84%A2-cotton-R330186006.html?dwvar_000647997_color=80-PURPLE&listsrc=The%20English%20Gardens#start=1
The fabric print which I ultimately used was the ‘Eltham Tana Lawn™ Cotton’ (Above). Using the digital program ‘Procreate’ I explored ways I could distort and manipulate the print whilst incorporating contrasting colors, different interpretations of space and patterns and leading lines inspired by my own art style. I ended up with 4 alternate patterns.
Reflecting on the last project, I wanted to make sure that I was taking advantage of the facilities here at Parsons. When I was considering how I would approach this project I knew I wanted to use Quinn’s design process and brand ethos as the key inspiration. Quinns iconic prints are all made in house on Epson printers and much of his work is based on using sustainable practices and processes. In 2016 Quinn launched his brand which went on to win the H&M Design Award. Quinn won £45,000 through this award and invested it in a digital printing workshop. This workshop (which uses 70% less water and 80% less energy than traditional techniques) allows him to produce fabrics in exact quantities based on production needs and thus eliminating waste (on these Epson printers). His studio also offers digital and screen-print services to young designers in the industry as well as print and textile workshops. “I want graduates who love textiles to be able to work with the fabric; fashion needs to be more hands-on and more local.”
I chose to create my fabric print using the Fabric Prototype plotters here at the college (the same type of printer Quinn uses). I printed on both georgette and cotton percale because I wanted to see how the prints would communicate on different textiles.
I then created an original dress design (inspired by Quinn’s silhouettes, style, and approach to prints) which ultimately combines what I learned whilst working on this project and my own design aesthetic.
Final piece. Dress design inspired by Richard Quinn using my own prints.
Click the link above to view time-lapse of my design process
