Aamna Adris is a 22 year old fashion designer from Slough, Berkshire. She graduated from Thames Valley University in Reading last year and is currently working on developing her range further.
 

Aamna Adris  in Profile

Awards: I have benefited from the experience of participating in national competitions, winning the New Look T shirt Competition and being a finalist in the Clothes Show Live Young Designer of the Year Competition, both in 2005.

Favourite place to shop and why? This may sound a little mad but my favourite place to shop is Pakistan, Lahore! I absolutely love shopping there, as the whole experience is totally different. The atmosphere, the colours and fabrics are amazing. And also the fact that you can watch your chosen garment being made, from dying the fabric to hand embroidery. Really makes you appreciate the garments you wear.

Favourite designer and why? Alexander McQueen is a very innovative designer who designs amazing garments. I love the way he uses his fabrics, layering to create new textures and structures. His designs are unique and theatrical at some stages. Each collection oozes with so much inspiration.

If you could choose a celebrity to be your muse who would it be? Shilpa Shetty. I think she is a very intelligent and beautiful woman who can carry herself very well in any given situation. She attends a lot of fashion shows abroad and is in the public eye constantly. Her reputation in India and Pakistan is thriving and here in Britain it has just begun. She has recently launched her new perfume and I believe her reputation will grow.

What item should every girl have in her wardrobe and why?A good pair of jeans! Jeans are an item that will never run out of fashion. You can wear them with absolutely anything and at anytime. Dress them up with a dress or casual with a t-shirt. At the moment I own a really nice pair of jeans from River Island and there great to wear with anything!

If you had to describe yourself in one word what would it be? Creative

Worse trend to emerge in the last year and why you think it’s the worse trend? Bright aluminous leggings! Not my cup of tea. Makes the outfit look cheap and not classy.

Who is your style icon and why? Myself! I try not to follow the crowd and if I like a certain trend I tend to make it my own by adding or wearing it differently.

The Collection: Immortality by Aamna Adris

Collection colours, cuts and fabrics:

The fabrics used in this collection, Immortality, are based on transparency, texture and volume, such as; chiffons, velvets, wools, silks, cottons and jerseys. Layering is a key aspect in this collection so chiffons are placed on top of velvets and silks. The colours used are greys and creams with translucent skin, bloody reds and black. These colours are following an inspiration from the predicted colours from Textile view and Drapers. With themes like Black Transparency, Total black and Night Falls. Print is a key ingredient to this collection, as trees and text from Bram Stokers Dracula become the focus of the garments surfaces. 

The Theme:

 The mood is dark with a late Victorian style to it. Also the idea that vampires came in the form of bats has been reflected in chosen garments. Bat like wings have been replicated on the back of dresses and attached to sleeves for movement. The theme of this collection is based on shadowy combinations; dark colours will run throughout with raw, graphic text and prints applied.    

The style in which this collection has been based on is the near dead look. This collection has be fuelled with both emotional power and raw energy, as well as showing romantic but determinedly contemporary nature.  Contrasting elements such as fragility and strength, tradition and modernity and fluidity and severity. Elements from the late Victorian costumes have been picked up on, looking at the constructed shapes. As this collection is for autumn/winter the lengths have been reasonably covered, however there is a lot of transparency captured in this collection.

What was the inspiration for your collection?

Vampires have been a popular legend, a bloodsucking creature, supposedly the restless soul of a heretic, criminal, or suicide, that leaves its burial place at night, often in the form of a bat, to drink the blood of humans. It must return to its grave or to a coffin filled with its native earth by daybreak. Its victims become vampires after death. This was my inspiration after watching a Dracula film! However I didn’t want to take the obvious route and so instead of designing cloaks and corsets, I used the fabrics and colours to portray this theme.

Which garment is your favourite and why?

Is difficult to pick a favourite garment as I have worked equally hard on each garment! But if I had to pick two it would be the black velvet devore male trousers and the grey chiffon puff dress. I was very pleased with the outcomes of my print; especially as it was the first time I had implemented the devore technique into a collection. Also I felt that the layering complimented my theme perfectly.

What inspires you as a designer?
Inspiration is a very important element for a designer as it’s the first step of the design journey. For me I can honestly say that sometimes the outcome is totally different from what inspired me at the beginning. My designs are constantly evolving until I am satisfied with what I have designed. Anything can inspire me, from art and ceramics to movies!

If you had to describe your collection in one word, what would it be?
Immortality!