By Théa Dumont and Gioia Hollingsworth, Year 12
For the past few years, the STEM centre has been organising a show on various themes for students to display their work they have spent so many hours designing since September, from 3D prints to laser-cuttings, sculptures, sewing and woodwork. This year the theme was “One Planet”, thus the show was divided into several sections, each representing the evolution of the earth. From the Age of Dinosaurs to the Technological Age, you will see Earth’s history in a nutshell before returning to the effect of modern humans. Students from primary school all the way to high school paraded onto the stage of the Arts Center to display their creations in the time period of their choice. From Groot to Wall-E to editorial outfits, it was a varied and very entertaining event. The LGB Express had the pleasure of interviewing two designers who participated in this year’s exhibition, to ask them questions about their creative process and the countless hours of work they put into their creations.
The first designer we interviewed is Gioia Hollingsworth, a year 12 student here at LGB, who participated in two STEM Shows over the last two years.
Is this your first STEM show, how was this first experience? Would you do it again?
This is my second show, as before last year they were all cancelled to the Coronavirus. This year was much better than the last, and it was honestly so much fun and a great way to display the talent that students in our school have. I would definitely do it again, and I would also recommend it to others!
How would you describe your design style and what inspires you the most when creating new pieces?
My design is a bit more editorial and clean-cut, I’m more into dresses and long garments. I of course follow fashion events such as Galas, Awards, and Runways, but otherwise I try to design my project!
What are the materials and fabrics you prefer to use when designing your clothing, and why?
I don’t have a specific fabric I love, but I will say that machine sewing with stretchy fabrics can be a little irritating sometimes. If you know, you know…
How did you come up with this idea?
I had already come up with designs before the fashion show, and then I simply tweaked them a little to really fit the theme and have the best effect possible.”
How do you address issues of sustainability and ethics in your fashion design work?
To be honest, I don’t really. I do reuse fabrics that have already been used by someone else for my own projects, and I try to have ethically sourced fabrics, but otherwise there is not a whole lot else I do unfortunately.
What are your future projects as a fashion designer and do you plan on working in the fashion industry in the future?
There is another fashion show in June which I am working on at the moment. It is student-led with a really cool theme, and all profits go to charity! I really recommend going, even if it’s just for the cake 😉
Finally, the LGB Express interviewed Victoria Hristova, a year 10 student, whose costume was entirely assembled from recycled newspapers.
How would you describe your design style and what inspires you the most when creating new pieces?
My design was a newspaper dress and honestly, the inspiration just came. I mean as a writer, obviously, sometimes it’s just very spontaneous, it doesn’t really have anything to make it jumpstart. What sometimes inspires me when I’m creating designs, is either I scrolled through Pinterest for hours and don’t have the courage to pick anything specific because there are just too many good options, or it’s just again one of these unexpected enlightenments that just give me a genius idea.
What are the materials and fabrics you prefer to use when designing your clothing, and why?
I personally like flexible clothing, so something that I’m not going to sweat in too much and that just keeps me comfortable throughout the day. So, I guess cotton is very nice and silk, but that’s expensive but I really like it as well, it just keeps it all fresh and nice.
How do you address issues of sustainability and ethics in your fashion design work?
I obviously made a newspaper dress to recycle, which was our theme. But I raised awareness in the show by having a newspaper that said: “Wake Up, the IGCSE declared the world in a red zone for climate and climate disasters”, and so, I just raised the newspaper at the end so whoever would read it might come to attention that this is happening. Otherwise, it might not have been visible but in my costume, I put newspapers with headings that talked about worldwide problems, especially climate change. There were a lot of newspapers about disasters that are happening around the world and obviously political crises and how the world and governments are dealing with them.
Congratulations to all the brilliant students and dedicated teachers who participated in the 2023 STEM Show and showcased their exceptional creations. We look forward to seeing you again next year!
