Alexandra Weatherby

I am a recent Fashion Textile Design graduate from De Montfort University, Leicester. I am specialised in Knitwear, however during my final year I have been really exploring hand dip-dyeing my designs, so I'm now also really confident in the dye lab as well. I would consider myself a Textile Colourist, alongside being a Knitwear and Fashion Textile Designer. I am driven by quality of design, which motivates me to create garments that are 'couture knitwear' aimed for women's luxury evening-wear. Colour features as the most fundamental element to my designs, as well as my technical process and practice.

Instagram: @alexandra.weatherby

My innovative attitude towards knitwear, by hand dip-dyeing my knitwear designs to investigate the response of yarn fibres to the application of colour, summarises how colour contributes significantly to the success of my designs, and encapsulates my unique approach to material and fashion design. The key purpose of my work is to thoroughly explore 'colour' itself, through both concept and the designs created. My most recent project explores the interaction between colour and the female form, focusing on how the colouration of a garment can evoke the senses, creating an individual, memorable and sensory experience. My project was inspired by the neurological condition 'Synaesthesia' - which is the merging of the senses. The simulation of one senses causes an involuntary reaction in one or more of the other senses. Synesthetes can often 'see' music, 'taste' colour or 'hear' textures. The notion of senses 'merging' informed the idea to explore how the interaction and application of colour can distort perception, thereby inspiring the idea to hand dip-dye my knitwear.

Where would you like your work to take you?

I’d love for my work to be noticed by the industry, so I can to get some experience working as a knitwear designer or assistant knitwear designer, within a luxury or high-end fashion brand that focuses on quality and value. I’d love to do a Fashion Knitwear MA at CSM in the future, before then setting up my own luxury fashion label. I’d love to give editorial a try, either through collaborative projects involving art direction or working within a company.

Which part of your creative process do you enjoy most?

Research and Resolution. Watching how the initial inspiration feeds directly into the final outcomes, of textile samples or final garments, is so rewarding and satisfying to see the journey of a project. For me, design is all about a story to tell, a person to reach out and resonate to. My garments aspire to draw in a different kind of woman in each garment, based on the colours or silhouettes they’re drawn to most. I aim to compliment each individual wearer, providing them with a sensory, memorable experience when wearing my garments.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

People. I’m always heavily inspired by people-based concepts, and of course colour. My most recent project derived from the initial concept of societal class restriction and financial segregation, which developed into the classist stereotyping of POC, exploring how racism and colourism tie into societal segregation and predisposed misconceptions of people within society, which then further developed into exploring colour itself as a means to establish someone’s wealth, class or societal status, touching on the hidden language of colour within society. My project then further developed into exploring the perception of colour, and the bias towards skin tones and colours themselves. I then came across the neurological condition ‘Synaesthesia’ in my research, and my concept began exploring sensation alongside perception, triggering the senses and exploring how each colour can evoke a different emotion for each individual viewer.

What piece of music would you say compliments your work the most?

Weirdly… I’d say a complete contrast of - either non-lyrical Italian classical music, or non-lyrical techno house upbeat modern music.

Can you list a couple other creatives/friends/people you look to for inspiration?

Brands / labels I’m inspired by/in awe of: Issey Miyake, Proenza Schouler, Versace, Missoni, Stella McCartney, Roberta Einer, Supriya Lele, Nensi Dojaka.

Muses who I’d love to wear my work: Zendaya, Jourdan Dunn, Jorja Smith, Griff, Perrie Edwards, Dua Lipa, Hailey Baldwin.

Friends/Fellow Creatives include:
Penny Kowalkowski, Serena Nuhu, Tamorie Morrison, Sophia Heywood, Luke Harthen, Niamh Dobson, Mia Edmond, Millie Throp, Alicia Fretter, Maya Ashton, Amelia Brownhill, Ange Oatley, Ona Greenwood, Joe Hindley, Kenya Roper, Emily Bloomer, Phoebe Isom, George Darcy, Chris Chidia, Brianna Bartlett, Marie Marchandise, Alexander Sushkin and Ana Silva.