The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2019 - Issue 26

Sabine Khabiri attended and served as one of the judges at the FDC Young Designer Awards where the title of the Radical Designer of the Year was being awarded to one of two designers. bite fashion FDC Young Designer Awards 2019 C ompeting for the title of the Radical Designer of the Year were Alina Deordita and Semra Ozer at the FDC (Fashion Designers’ and Crafts) Young Design Awards held on 26th October. The evening commenced with the works of an interactive musician who invited the audience to listen and help her create the beats of her music whilst she challenged our attention to detail. After a quick break, the collections from the two design- ers were presented. This would determine which of the two would be awarded the opportunity to present their collection in New York in April 2020. Originating from Moldova, between Romania and the Ukraine, dressmaker and fashion designer, Alina Deord- ita presented her collection entitled ‘Inside of Us’. Sitting down with Alina to discuss her work gave me a real in- sight into her intentions with this collection. With her fashion design, Alina wanted to signify the in- side of a woman by working with themes of dramatism to create a renaissance style within her pieces. The frilly necklines took clear inspiration from the Elizabethan era which she was particularly drawn to because of her admi- ration for the beauty of Elizabeth I. Conflicting with this traditional dress style from the Époque of excess frills of material, Alina worked sheer material into her pieces to reveal the model’s underwear. Working in a bridal couture boutique alongside her ed- ucation has taught Alina invaluable skills that can be ap- plied to her own designs and work. Her experience at the boutique allowed her to use her own boning within the ‘Inside of Us’ collection for her velvet green corsets. This strengthened her concept of femininity as corsets have al- tered the natural feminine silhouette of women for years. The three outfits were alternated in revealing the body such as the models’ backs, legs or shoulders. This theme of exposure also challenged itself with her hood design and masks. The play on revealing and hiding elements of the body spoke further in Alina’s perceptions of women. Interestingly, it was her young daughter that spotted an elephant beetle that sparked the idea for her use of olive green within this smooth colour palette. Choosing velvet because of its soft texture symbolised women and their caring, loving nature. Accentuating the olive tones of the velvet, Alina used red-toned purple chiffon for the sheer fabric. When casting, the models chosen best represented the el- egant and artistic beauty of the collection. Alina directed her models to poise themselves as though they were play- ing a role in The Phantom of the Opera for an audience. Thus the models played their roles out at the masquer- ade ball with masks sourced by Alina. Whilst one model brought her chair-turned-throne to sit on, the other two posed against her for the cameras. For the finale, all three models took their masks off; slowly revealing to the audi- ence what was on the inside. Using her Turkish heritage for the roots of her collection with the RDA, Semra Ozer is an innovative fashion de- signer. Studying for her BA degree honours in Fashion Photography: Veronica Minutillo