All images Rebecca Swann Designs
Winner of this year’s ‘Stuart Peters Visionary Knitwear Award’, Rebecca Swan recently graduated from Nottingham Trent University after studying BA (Hons) Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles. Her unusual style of oversized knitwear in cream, grey and black set her apart from the other knitwear contenders, with the general aesthetic being raw and fresh. Her fashion-forward approach evidently caught the eyes of Erica Peter, Kevin Peters and Massimo Nicosia to make her the best in her category.
Rebecca, what was the inspiration behind your graduate collection?
The inspiration behind my final collection was our hidden guilty pleasures; the guilt behind luxury products and fabrics, and the sinister side of what they are made of.
What made you choose to study at Nottingham Trent?
I knew that it was the best course in the country that specifically concentrates on fashion knitwear, with all the best machinery.
How did they prepare you for a career in fashion?
From the very start of the course we learnt about pattern cutting and making garment specifications. These are processes that are all used in the industry.
If you weren’t a fashion designer, what would you be instead?
If I wasn’t to do fashion design I would try and integrate into textile design.
Describe the type of woman you design for.
The woman I design for is the working woman who cares about luxury and design. She is a woman who wants to stand out but feel comfortable at the same time.
How would you describe your design aesthetic?
My designs are comfortable luxury with tactile qualities, taking a strong consideration of yarn selection.
Which designers do you look up to?
Yixing Yin, Rei Kawakubo, Urban Zen and Donna Karan.
Did you complete any internships before graduating?
Part of my course involved a placement year during which I went to New York for just over a year. In that time I worked at Rebecca Taylor, Li and Fung and DKNY. I was a knitwear design intern at all of these companies.
What comes next for you and your career?
Career-wise I’m keeping my options open to see what emerges. But I really would like to get into women’s knitwear design.
Has anything exciting or unexpected come out of showing at GFW?
After GFW I’ve been to a few interviews regarding design jobs and have been contacted a number of times regarding media and publicity.
Lorna Slessor
