Nicole Johnson

“My concept relates to ‘I got up’. My colour Resene Ocean Waves is one of the darkest ones in this competition, and I was taken aback by this. Some of the attributes I noticed were its darkness, depth and lack of vibrancy. To me, this colour doesn’t signify waves on the surface, but the depths of the ocean, often hidden.

One of my first thoughts was ‘depression’. Whilst this wasn’t positive, I realized that this was what I wanted to speak to with my design. My concept was then derived from the idea of celebrating coming out of a dark place. We all have periods of darkness and struggle in our lives, where the waves of life may seem to be dumping us or when we’re at our depths. I aim to bring that to light with my design, participating in a conversation about something that matters.

I took aesthetic inspiration from the Prada 2024 menswear runway collection and Minju Kim’s collections: Fairy’s Wish and Bari. Minju often uses loose-fitting silhouettes for her garments, with sleeves and collars reminiscent of pyjamas, which inspired my garment’s silhouette greatly.

The bodice is a modern interpretation of a kimono. Big sleeves bring a sense of strength and comfort. The pants feature fabric manipulation to represent waves.

My design celebrates the idea of having got out of bed. For many people with mental health struggles, this is an extreme feat. The design is inspired by pyjamas, with loose pants. The fabric of the pants is creased and stitched over and then pressed out again. This represents creased pyjamas, as well as waves, paying homage to the colour name.”

Resene Whitecliffe Colour of Fashion clothing - 2023

Photography by Jonathan Kraettli

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