Gemma Thorne

BA (Hons) Fashion Design

My graduate collection “Finding your Purpose” is a reflection on me finding who I am as a designer and the impact I want to make on society and the environment. It shows me finding tranquillity in life through the exploration of Japanese culture.

I have explored origami, the art of paper folding, to inform my silhouettes. Origami has a transformation from 2D to 3D form and I have incorporated this into my designs. This has been achieved by fabric being folded in certain ways to create striking silhouettes. I have also used square shapes sewn together and manipulated to represent the transformation of paper in origami.The Japanese lifestyle, called Wabi-Sabi, is a slow paced life where they focus on nurturing relationships, having minimal objects and celebrating aged furniture. This is translated into my garments through zero waste pattern cutting and upcycling old curtains and bedsheets. To further explore the true beauty of discarded materials I have used dyes from natural sources including red cabbage, turmeric and berry tea and traditional Shibori resist dyeing techniques. Tea ceremonies are an important part of Japanese culture and represent harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity and these elements are integrated into my garments.

I want to build a strong relationship with my consumers and inform them of how my garments are impacting the environment. The aim is to educate and change the narrative of people’s need for high quantities of clothing and allow people to understand sustainability, quality and longevity are more meaningful.


Myfyrdod arna i yn darganfod pwy ydw i fel dylunydd a’r argraff rwy’n awyddus i’w greu ar gymdeithas a’r amgylchedd yw fy nghasgliad ar gyfer fy ngradd “Finding your Purpose”. Mae’n fy nangos i yn canfod tawelwch meddwl mewn bywyd drwy archwilio diwylliant Siapanëaidd.

Rwyf wedi astudio origami, celfyddyd plygu papur, fel sail i fy silwetau. Gall origami drawsffurfio o siâp 2D i 3D ac rwyf wedi ymgorffori hyn yn fy nyluniadau. Cyflawnwyd hyn drwy blygu defnydd mewn ffyrdd penodol i greu silwetau trawiadol. Rwyf hefyd wedi defnyddio siapiau sgwâr wedi’u gwnïo at ei gilydd a’u gosod i gynrychioli trawsffurfiad papur mewn origami. Mae’r ffordd Siapanëaidd o fyw, a elwir yn Wabi-Sabi, yn araf a’r ffocws ar feithrin perthynas, cael cyn lleied o wrthrychau â phosib a dathlu hen ddodrefn. Troswyd hyn i’r dillad drwy dorri patrwm diwastraff ac uwchgylchu hen lenni a dillad gwely. Er mwyn archwilio gwir harddwch deunyddiau gwastraff rwyf wedi defnyddio lliwiau o ffynonellau naturiol yn cynnwys bresych coch, te tyrmerig ac aeron a Shibori traddodiadol sy’n gwrthsefyll technegau lliwio. Mae seremonïau te yn rhan bwysig o ddiwylliant Siapanëaidd ac yn cynrychioli cytgord, parch, purdeb a thawelwch ac mae’r elfennau yma wedi’u hintegreiddio yn fy nillad.

Rwyf eisiau adeiladu perthynas gref gyda fy nghwsmeriaid a’u hysbysu o’r modd y mae fy nillad yn cael effaith ar yr amgylchedd. Y bwriad yw addysgu a newid naratif anghenion pobl ar gyfer pentyrrau mawr o ddillad a rhoi’r cyfle i bobl ddeall bod cynaliadwyedd, ansawdd a hirhoedledd yn fwy ystyrlon.


• https://gthorne2000.wixsite.com/my-site

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