Thomas Clement
SCHOOL
INSTAGRAM PROFILE
instagram.com/thomasclem.ent/
ABOUT Thomas'S COLLECTION:
Crash
There has been this certain idea that started to develop in my mind - A car accident.
It was a fictional memory that seemed to feel very real to me - like fireworks - a brutal impact that only can be admired.
Was it a materialization of my deepest fears ? Maybe a dissipated or an empathic vision of a system crashing?
My first ideas came up in a very direct connection with the car itself. A symbol of freedom that embodies hope and the desire to go further. The crash, on the other hand, makes you never reach your destination. Might be caused by a perfectionism that clings. I imagined the accident as an out-of-body experience. It’s the end of a story and my mind takes a step back to admire the impact as well as the journey made. The graduate collection is composed of 6 looks of which all show a different degree of humour and understanding. One of the main themes addressed in my collection is going beyond my own journey. This is reached by working on reinterpretations of workshop topics from previous years based on positive or negative remarks made to me. In this way, I have developed and improved materials based on old researches, such as textiles made of tights and resin, which evokes both my discoveries during the course, and the broken windows of a vehicle. I have chosen a treated volumized piece which is closely related to the introduction project in the first year. It takes the form of a Ford Sierra laminated with aluminium. The idea of a car is also present in the cutting lines and to justify the technical precision and quality of some of the fabrics used.
I am lucky enough to have been able to develop some personalized fabrics thanks to the sponsors of the best companies in their field: Sophie Hallette for lace and EE Exclusive for Jacquard. A certain idea of sewing schools inspired the shape of the silhouettes. It’s a style, which is often criticized in design, due to it being described as outdated. In my opinion this design has interesting principles and above all, it refers to a utopian fashion treated with a lot of candor, which I see as an essential quality.
I like to quote the poet René Crevel who said, «It takes a lot of naivety to do great things».
To this, I liked to add the transparency of a working method and a current awareness with a number of upcycling processes. My vision of the car accident is like the Big Bang, the end of an explosive trajectory but also a rebirth.
