Grazia X CSM: A New Age For Women In Fashion

Chia-Jung Chen, 22

Kingston School of Art; MA Fashion

‘I take things people find ugly and find a way to make them pretty,’ says Chia-Jung Chen, adding that it’s this idea of perfection and idealised beauty which fuels her work. Chia-Jung graduated last year from the University of Manchester’s BA Fashion, a time when, stuck indoors, she found herself bombarded with filters and false realities online. Her final collection of draped and ruched dresses and billowing coats explored the beauty of blemishes, including prints inspired by spots and wrinkles. LV @chia_jungc

Madeline Robertson, 24

University of Brighton; BA Fashion Design with Business Studies; class of 2020

Inspired by Corinne Day’s ‘90s photography and female-led films such as True Romance, Madeline Robertson’s graduate collection Lone Star is an ode to the modern woman. ‘There’s nothing more important than female designers designing for women. It’s about wearing clothes for yourself and not for the male gaze.’ After graduating, Madeline founded FOSSE, a luxury sustainable brand. SL @_had_to_be_there

Cathy Meyong, 23

Central Saint Martins; BA Womenswear

Cathy Meyong combines traditional African techniques of draping, beading and fringing, with a sexy carnivalesque flair, creating garments constructed from embroidered fabrics like cashmere-silk straight from Istanbul, and pleated, ruffled or layered sheens to embellish the body. Born and raised in eastern Germany, but of half-Cameroonian heritage, Cathy draws inspiration from spiritual belief systems that are often hidden or demonised within African diasporas, with a special focus on Haitian Vodou.

‘As a Black woman, having this label of being overly sexual, overly aggressive, unfeminine, and perceived as subhuman – I’m taking that and turning it into something uplifting,’ says Cathy. ‘The story that I’m trying to tell with my clothes is one of emancipation from this.’ This sentiment is at the core of her work, creating alluring silhouettes that curl and twist while fitting to the body in order to elongate a woman’s figure. Her mission is to explore the beauty in all female bodies, and showcase why they need to be embraced. AM @c.meyong

Vanessa Bon, 24

University of Westminster; BA Fashion Design; class of 2020

Vanessa Bon dresses like a superhero, often donning colour-coordinated leather outfits complete with graphic eyeliner. Playing with hyper-feminine stereotypes seen within sci-fi, her candy-coloured catsuits and corsets are arrestingly seductive while still establishing a sense of female prowess. ‘I know what comes with dressing the way I do, I’m not proposing something crazy without knowing what it entails. You can only challenge perceptions by continuing to dress like this and encouraging other people to do so.’

Following her graduation last year from the University of Westminster, Vanessa returned to Mexico, where she was born, to begin designing a new collection that will be the star of her upcoming fashion film,HOOF. PJH@vanebon

Kelsey Ann Kasom, 27

Royal College of Art; MA Fashion Womenswear

Growing up in Mississippi, Kelsey Ann Kasom was not expected to pursue an education, let alone a career in fashion. ‘Because of my upbringing, it’s made me more aggressive as a woman, deciding what I want and being diligent about achieving it.’ Her interest in fashion started with hand-me-downs. ‘I was obsessed with making clothes that didn’t fit me proportionally; deconstructing my father’s work clothes, his sleeves became my shorts.’

Her graduate collection Identity reflects on the strength of vulnerability. The transparent organza collection features soft curvaceous shapes that cascade around the body, but there remains a strength to the structure. Kelsey is continuing to incorporate her ideas about femininity into her work at the Royal College of Art, ‘I think as females, we are seen as more vulnerable than men, but I feel that’s the true definition of strength.’ PJH @kelseyannkasom

Emma Mackenzie, 22

The Glasgow School of Art; BA Textiles

Although textiles are concerned with the surface, Emma Mackenzie’s interest lies in what’s happening beneath. Her tight-fitting knitted garment resembles a spider’s web skimming across the skin, strategically exposing the female body. After receiving criticism from a male tutor, who commented that her work was starting to look like tattoos, she decided on the raison d’être for her clothes.

‘I want it to be something just for you. I want people to see bits of themselves that maybe they don’t want to look at.’ Confronting both the wearer and onlooker, Emma’s hope is to challenge people’s perspectives of their own body with a textile that moulds to its shape. Her garments don’t sit on the skin; they’re part of it. LV @em.ma.ckenzie