As time shows, history and fashion always go hand in hand
Many artists look back to the past to find inspiration for their upcoming projects. They find that trends tend to come back, especially in the fashion world: who thought that Bermuda shorts and utility jumpsuits will be the most desirable items today?
Fashion designer Gabija Dainelyte, 21, found her inspiration in an even earlier point in history: London in the 1600s.
Dainelyte attended Fashion Design studies at Hertfordshire University but is finishing up her final collection in her home country in Lithuania: due to the coronavirus outbreak she decided to complete the course back home.
“We were supposed to have a fashion show but obviously it was postponed because of the virus. Now we have to submit our collection online which is still okay, but the lecturers can’t see the details and seams up close,” explains Dainelyte.
Inspiration from the 1600s
Her collection “Kenaz“ was inspired after working at a restaurant which previously burned down, and where marks of smoke and fire are still visible. These details on walls led her to research about the Great Fire of London which became the main theme of her collection: black and grey shades are the main aspects of the line.
Video: Ugne Pilkionyte
When it came to making the clothes, Dainelyte started researching the 1600s silhouettes, mostly focusing on menswear as she didn’t want to create any skirts or dresses.
“I don’t wear them; I don’t really like them. I’m more like a trousers type of girl,” giggles Dainelyte. Inspired by 17th-century fashion, puffy sleeves on and accentuated hips on suit jackets became prominent features in her collection.
“As a friend, who saw the journey of her becoming a designer develop, I can tell you that hard work and all those tears paid off,” says her long-time friend Ugne Pilkionyte, 21, a student at The Paris Institute of Political Studies. “I know how the puffed sleeves drove her mad and how coronavirus made everything much harder, but I am astonished by the final result.”
Journey to pursue the dream
As a child, Dainelyte used to remodel her own clothes with her grandmother, who was a seamstress and tailoress, but during the high school years, Dainelyte started questioning her dream to become a designer after she was pressured by the popular old-school opinion in Lithuania: people think that if you are an artist, you won’t be successful.
In the last year of high school, she rediscovered her love for fashion and started attending a foundation year design course where she learned basic sewing techniques. She entered the course after being challenged by her mum to see if she really wants to pursue the dream of becoming a fashion designer.
“The lectures used to start at 8 am every Saturday. I never missed one lesson during that year. No matter what, I was always there. Then my mum realised that I really want this,” explains Dainelyte.
Dainelyte is mostly interested in tailoring and men’s fashion but according to the young designer, it requires a lot of skill and further learning. “Sustainable fashion is also one of my interests but the lack of environment-friendly fabrics in Lithuania makes it harder to produce ecological clothes,” she says.
Sustainable fashion
Dainelyte addresses the current environmental issues caused by the fashion world, naming it the second biggest polluting industry in the world. She suggests everyone think about what and how much we are buying.
Dainelyte talks about sustainable fashion.
“I’m trying to reduce my shopping simply by not looking at online stores. The problem we face today is quite big,” explains Dainelyte.
Zanna Messenger-Jones, Fashion Design student at Central Saint Martins, says that the most sustainable thing to do is buy clothes second-hand or use clothing swapping apps.
“I feel that the new generations of designers are much more conscious of how their designs can affect not only the planet but the people making them, by paying fair wages and allowing for smaller and fewer collections,” she adds.
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