Jane Bowler

Jane's moodboard

What is your name? Jane Bowler


What is the name of your label? Jane Bowler Design studio

Where did you study and when did you graduate? Mixed Media Textiles MA at the Royal College of Art, London. I graduated in June 2010

What inspires you as a textile designer? I am inspired by everyday materials and objects ranging from PVC shower curtains to bath mats. I love experimenting with unexpected materials and processes. The garment that I am entering into FASHIONCLASH, is an extension of my final collection at the RCA. The collection was a witty and sophisticated approach to rainwear , inspired by traditional Japanese straw raincoats alongside a mix of samurai armor and the traditional British mackintosh.



Close-up on the detail



Who is your favorite designer/artist? Why? I love Issey Miyake’s early work, he pushed the boundaries of fashion and textiles, engineering the textiles to create his garments. His new work titled ‘Collection 1325’ which was on show at the barbican just recently was really inspiring alongside works by Junya Watanabe. I think I am attracted to Japanese fashion designers!

What can you bring to FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2011? A hint of plastic fantastic and a new appreciation for textiles!



Another close-up



How did your experience with design started? When did you decided to be a designer? Why textiles? I had always loved to collect bits and bobs from carboot sales and second hand shops.. I loved searching for unexpected gems and the prospect of transforming unusual materials and objects into something new! When I was little, I always said that when I grew up, I wanted to be an artist and own a sweet shop… I wanted to work as an artist and sell sweets at the same time! Strangely, some people have commented that my recent collection resembles sweets! Matylda from ‘Mat and Me’ Blog called my raincoats… Spaghetti wine gum dresses! Which I love!

I didn’t always want to be a textile or fashion designer… it just kind of happened through my love of materials!

What are your goals concerning your career? What are your ambitions? I am currently working on my new collection which I will be launching this September. Along side my exciting show piece style garments, I am also working on a wearable range which I am looking to launch in stores in the near future. I love what I do, and just hope that other people will love it too!

Edited by Natalia Serwanska

Carolina Reis

What is your name? Carolina Reis

What is the name of your label? The project that I am presenting for FASHIONCLASH is called WEAROUT. I don’t have a name for my label. I practice under my own name. I work on different collections and projects and each one lives like a brand on its own.

Where did you study and when did you graduate? I did my bachelor at Université du Québec à Montréal in Canada and I graduated in 2008. Then I studied Master in Design in the Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands. I graduated in 2010.

What inspires you as a designer? Primarily, the context in which the clothes will be worn. We use garments to protect ourselves, not just for social appearances. Is the environment going to be cold, warm? How will the wearer move? At last, what does it need to communicate?

I have a multidisciplinary approach to fashion design. I seek inspiration in materials and fibres, innovation, current affairs, social behavior, psychology of identity, science, geometry and ergonomics. Basically, everything that moves the world is important and is a part of the process.

Who is your favorite (fashion) designer? Why? I am asked this question very often and it is hard for me to select one designer. Clothes reflect the values of a given society. I admire a designers who go beyond the simple fact of doing fashion, but also communicate a new vision of the world and promote quality. There are too many, but to name just a few: Bless and Martin Margiela for deconstructing, recycling and transgressing conventions; Rei Kawakubo for questioning the idea of the body and female representations; Issey Miyake for pushing technological innovation; Katherine Hammet for her legacy in fighting for ethical issues; Ying Gao for giving grace and sense to interactive garments and Hussein Chalayan for making me proud of being a fashion designer..

What can you bring to FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2011? I hope to show a new way of seeing fashion to the visitors of the event.

What do you expect from the FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2011? I hope to communicate the message that fashion is about people and for people who wear it and not about the designer.

How did your experience with fashion started? When did you decide to be a (fashion) designer? I have always had interest in visual arts. Fashion brings a great challenge because it links the creativity of an art and the pragmatism of design. It bares the history of seduction and fantasy, but also needs to satisfy basic needs of physical protection. Fashion relates to everyone as it adorns every body. It offers great possibility for artistic expression through all kinds of mediums that go beyond just clothes, because it is intrinsically linked with the being.

What are your goals concerning your career? What are your ambitions? Where do you see yourself in the future? My ambitions are to continue to develop and improve my work. I would like to find new ways to overcome the challenges our societies are facing. I hope to improve people’s living, even if that means making less fashion. Designers have an increasing social responsibility.



Edited by Natalia Serwanska