Cosimo
London, United Kingdom
Presentation
This collection begins with a true story. I interviewed Dennis Wood
a Barbadian man who came to London in the 1960s.
While in Barbados, Dennis was recruited into the British army. He arrived in the UK in 1962, at a time when Britain was offering work and a new home to people from its Caribbean colonies, in order to meet the post-war labour shortage. These migrants are often known as the Windrush Generation, named after the MV Windrush, the first ship to arrive. The VIBRANT culture they established here in London is the first inspiration for my collection.
My second inspiration is the struggle against racism that this group faced and continues to face. When they got off the boats at Tilbury Docks, they felt that they were coming home, to join their imperial family. Instead, they discovered a country that discriminated against them because of the colour of their skin and rejected their professional qualifications because they were not gained in Britain.
I imagine this collection as a celebration of colours, mixed with various textile manipulations, merged into different areas of the garments. I want to create a fusion between an edgy tailoring construction, streetwear and military detailing.
