For my final year collection, I reflected on what I have enjoyed the most in my three years at university. The first project I ever did I really enjoyed and was really pleased with the outcome, so I decided to take on board what I did back then and put it towards my final collection. From a little girl I have always loved and had a bit of an obsession with long, pretty elegant dresses, in other words ‘princess dresses’, so I knew that was the style of garments I wanted to make for my graduate collection. I also wanted to do something that was close to my heart and I had a real passion for. During the first lockdown I took up reading, and two of the books that I read (Florence Given, Women Don’t Owe You Pretty & Cheesie King, Be Your Own Best Friend) really inspired me for my graduate collection. These books are all about learning to accept yourself for who you are, and to feel comfortable in your own skin. This is such a current and important message with the nation being in and out of lockdowns and people’s mental health being affected. I personally have always struggled to accept myself for who I am, and constantly criticize my appearance. So I wanted my collection to give out the message to people that ‘you are enough’ and ‘you are beautiful’ and to not let social media define you as not everything you see is the truth.
Ar gyfer fy nghasgliad blwyddyn olaf, fe wnes i fyfyrio ar yr hyn rwyf wedi’i fwynhau fwyaf yn ystod fy nhair blynedd yn y brifysgol. Mwynheais y prosiect cyntaf wnes i yn fawr ac roeddwn i’n falch iawn o’r canlyniad, felly penderfynais ystyried yr hyn a wneuthum yn ôl bryd hynny a’i roi tuag at fy nghasgliad terfynol. Ers pan oeddwn yn ferch fach rwyf wastad wedi caru a chael tipyn o obsesiwn gyda ffrogiau hir, cain, mewn geiriau eraill ‘ffrogiau tywysoges’, felly gwyddwn mai dyna’r arddull dillad yr oeddwn am eu creu ar gyfer fy nghasgliad gradd. Roeddwn hefyd eisiau gwneud rhywbeth a oedd yn agos at fy nghalon ac roedd gen i angerdd gwirioneddol amdano. Yn ystod y cyfyngiadau symud cyntaf, dechreuais ddarllen, a chefais fy ysbrydoli’n fawr gan ddau o’r llyfrau a ddarllenais (Florence Given, Women Don’t Owe You Pretty a Cheesie King, Be Your Own Best Friend) ar gyfer fy nghasgliad gradd. Mae’r llyfrau hyn i gyd yn ymwneud â dysgu derbyn eich hun am bwy ydych chi, a theimlo’n gyfforddus yn eich croen eich hun. Mae hon yn neges mor gyfredol a phwysig gyda’r genedl i mewn ac allan o’r cyfnod clo ac iechyd meddwl pobl yn cael eu heffeithio. Yr wyf fi’n bersonol bob amser wedi cael trafferth derbyn fy hun am bwy ydw i, ac yn beirniadu fy ymddangosiad yn gyson. Felly roeddwn am i’m casgliad gyfleu’r neges i bobl ‘eich bod yn ddigon’ a’ch ‘bod chi’n hardd’ ac i beidio â gadael i’r cyfryngau cymdeithasol eich diffinio gan nad yw popeth a welwch yn wir.
