PLAYTIME

Hi, my name is Noemie and I have recently designed and created my very first collection.

The theme of the show was “PLAYTIME” which is what I used as the inspiration of my collection. I thought of elements of water, of fun, laughter and sunshine. But there was one childhood memory that stuck with me throughout the design process. The elementary school I attended had uniforms, so expressing yourself through your clothing choices was very difficult. However, once a year, on the Friday of the week of your birthday, you were allowed to wear whatever you wanted. Everyone would always dress up a little to express their sense of style during this very special occasion. I want this collection to be an assemblage of all of the probably weird and not so fashionable outfits that I wore to school on the yearly occasion. I actually don’t remember what I wore on most years or what other girls wore but what I do remember was that it was colorful, it was over the top and it was fun, because that was how I saw myself and felt at the age of 12. This is what I want this collection to embody - the feeling of being and looking special on an occasion that enveloped myself.
For this reason, this collection isn’t cohesive. It shows growth over the years of my sense of fashion and how I see myself. Most of the fabrics used are only used in one or two of the looks. There isn’t a specific element, style or color that brings together the whole collection and if you asked a stranger what they think the theme or message of the collection was, I honestly have no idea what they would say. This may seem premature or “unprofessional” but I am experimenting. This is the first time that I have had this big of a budget for this big of a project. For the first time, I was allowed to spend a lot of money on more expensive fabrics that I normally wouldn’t, I could try colors and textures that clients wouldn’t often choose and I could use fabrics that inspire me and make me smile rather than use fabric remnants or curtains that I thrifted cheaply. I played around with various shapes, styles and types of clothing. I chose textured that made me think of things that weren’t fashion. Look #8 used a fabric that reminds you of a pink cow. Look #5 incorporated a flower pattern that you’d find on a child’s wellies. I have grown and learned a tremendous amount the past four weeks during the production process of this collection. I had previously never made a raincoat, nor so many jumpsuits, nor used fabrics that screamed my childhood dreams. I’m sure that in a few years time I will look back at what I’ve made and cringe but for now, I am incredibly proud of what I had created. This is my collection.

This is my playtime.

Thank you for those who have supported me all through this journey, those who understood and encouraged my passion and dreams, those who rooted for me and wanted this for me as much as I wanted this for myself.

Finally, thank you to 2019 me, it was a difficult year but by far the most fruitful, please know that all of your hard work has paid off in ways that you couldn’t even begin to imagine.