Kirstie Maclaren

About Kirsty:

Recent graduate of Middlesex University, Kirstie Maclaren has taken a different route to metalsmithing on her Jewellery degree.  Having always been fascinated with movement and creating pieces with ambiguity in how they are worn, she has a strong fascination in the freedom that the tactile qualities of fabric can provide.Taking influence from her placements, working with Fred Butler, Petra Storrs and J.W. Anderson, Kirstie has contiuously developed oversized pieces into garments that adorn the body with an almost over scaled approach.  Seeing the body as such strong structure, this allows her to push the boundaries with what is ‘wearable’ choosing to push this structure as far as possible rather than delicately decorating with fragile adornments.

‘I encourage and am very interested with the interaction that takes place between the wearer and the garment.  Having this curiosity about the way people interact with my pieces, i’ve created a collection that can be worn in various ways. The ambiguity with these pieces allows the wearer to decide how they wear them, folded up or stretched out’

Incorporating influences from innovative contemporary Japanese fashion combined this with a strong affiliation with brutalist structures and modern architecture. Structured and strong, yet flowing and flexible, the contents of the coats juxtapose the simplicity of their exteriors.