Constructing a garment based off of a leopard and lion design she saw at the V&A museum, Monica Hoilett says her piece has turned out darker than originally planned, both in mood and colour.
Made up of over 20 different pieces the design itself is complex and, as a result, Monica feels she’s come a long way during her time with FAD. ‘Everyone at FAD is new and not everyone knows what to do,’ Monica explains. ‘We’re all in the same boat as each other learning new stuff and that was really encouraging because it shows that you can come from nothing and end up somewhere. A lot of us hadn’t even touched a sewing machine before and they’ve made something so amazing you’d never be able to tell.’
She also feels her time with the FAD volunteers and their different perspectives has also helped. ‘It’s been great meeting a lot of other people from different sectors of the fashion industry,’ she continues. ‘There were pattern-cutters, designers and they all give a different perspective.’
While Monica is still unsure whether to go into fashion and is leaning more towards becoming a fine artist, she’s learnt a lot about the fashion industry as a whole. ‘Fashion can be quite shallow but it’s about what you bring to it as an individual,’ she says. ‘We have to put more meaning into our artwork and even if something just looks nice there has to be more of a meaning behind it if it’s going to sell.
‘I would love to have a platform where I could speak my mind about the fashion industry. I’d make people more conscious of their decisions and make them think a bit more. I’m all about togetherness and questioning why you’re doing something or thinking in a certain way. I’d love to speak about that.’
