Fashion Design Glasgow School of Design

Emma McGauchie

I am fascinated by the role clothing can play in the tailoring of an identity, whether it be authenticating one, manufacturing one, or both. In my work I have used a mixture of both tailoring and drape together to research the ability to subvert stereotypical clothing identities.

Contact
emmamcgauchie@gmail.com
Works
Portfolio

Portfolio

This project explores the fragility of appearance through drape, tailoring and the business suit. My work began with draping clothing to achieve the effect of a collapsed body beneath, representing a fragile being. I then developed these ‘collapsed bodies’ using more structured tailored clothing to enforce an element of control resulting in a twisted tailored outcome. I developed this theme by taking inspiration from Roy Andersson’s ‘Songs From the Second Floor’ and Terry Gilliam’s ‘Brazil’ and their use of the business suit as a facade of functionality in a society that is clearly failing.                                                                             I have manipulated traditional tailoring consequently  corrupting an established uniform, compromising its fundamental identity and revealing a breakdown of the façade. While a blind acceptance of conventional traditions and an irrationality in the face of desperation is shown through the preservation of a few familiar tailoring details. It became my aim, to create a collection that represented a society trying and visibly failing to uphold an illusion of normality, embodying a fragility of appearance.