ABOUT

Metanoia started as a mindful exploration of the 2023 Batsford Prize theme, 'At Peace'; however, circumstances allowed me to re-envision the collection. Adapting the main inspiration from that to the 2024 theme of 'Gravity', I shifted the focus towards a more spiritual connection with mindfulness and wellbeing. Researching into symbols of inner peace and 'Grounding', I looked at how Chakra practices could inform Yoga due to the innate link between these 'energy centres' and the gentle movement and fluidity of my own Yoga practice. This combined focus enabled me to detach away from the usual digital mediums of other projects, and consider using my favourite medium when hand-drawing and developing the concepts for the textiles and colours of my designs. Neutral tones, softer and desaturated colours came into play as I developed a colour palette via water-soluble pencils. The garment shapes also needed to be designed with this inner-peace in mind as well as considering freedom of movement and comfort when worn for a yoga routine. This meant designing longer tops, lowered crotches for the trousers, and comfortable fabrics that allow the wearer's body to breathe while they transition between the various poses of a routine. Oh, and using continuous line for the body templates link to the focus on the motion and flexibility of the body with this movement-based method of meditating.