Richard Quinn (born 1990) is a fashion and print designer based in London.
For this freshman year project, I chose Richard Quinn as the designer which I wanted to deconstruct and research, using his work and process to inspire myself whilst also learning more about his career, his personal design process and his techniques approach to design.
I was 16 when I first heard of Richard Quinn. My friend introduced his work to me when she was working backstage at the fashion week during which he made his debut. I was so inspired, seeing these beautiful pieces that flowed down the runway, print on print but in a classy and innovative way. A catwalk filled with pattern and color on faceless figures that created intrigue and force you to look at the garments, not just the models.
Now, almost 3 years after first discovering Quinn, (actually whilst I edit this essay my friend is sending me videos from Quinns AW20 show) his collections still capture and excite me just as much as they did when I was 16. I always look out for Quinns shows and collections. They are so rich and inspiring, I find myself very drawn to the way he communicates his aesthetic in such an authentic way. Quinn is such an important designer right now. Focused on sustainability, creativity, diversity and authenticity, he embodies everything you would want in a brand which reflects the zeitgeist of this era. His designs, to me, seem immediately iconic the second they walk the runway. I'm eager to see where his career takes him, I hope to continue to use his work to inspire my own creative process and influence the way in which I design.
When I was considering how I would approach this project I knew I wanted to use Quinn’s design process and brand ethos as the key inspiration. Quinns iconic prints are all made in house on Epson printers and much of his work is based on using sustainable practices and processes. Compared to the traditional textile printing process, it allows him to use up to 70% less water and 80% less energy when creating his garments. The ease with which pieces can be customized also means that retailers can request exclusive design compositions so that no stockist has to carry the exact same item. By producing everything onsite, Quinn can deliver exact quantities to his retailers without any additional waste.
I chose to create my fabric print using the Fabric Prototype plotters here at the college (the same type of printer Quinn uses). I printed on both georgette and cotton percale because I wanted to see how the prints would communicate on different textiles.
I wanted to take a current Liberty London print (inspired by Quinn), blow it up and digitally edit and transform it to represent something that embodies my personal aesthetic, whilst still actively considering Quinns work in an attempt to honor my research and my appreciation of his process and artistry.
So, I took a print from Liberty London’s ‘The English Gardens collection for Spring/Summer 2020’ it features ten exclusively-designed prints inspired by the grounds of famous castles and country houses. I particularly liked working with this collection of prints since it is very relevant to me as an international (British) student and links back to my childhood which was filled with many fond memories of visiting famous stately homes and National Trust buildings.
“I don’t like anything bland or making something that already exists. There’s just no point. I like taking things that shouldn’t usually be put together and then really upping the saturation.” this was a quote of Quinn’s which I kept in mind throughout my process.
The fabric print which I ultimately used was the ‘Eltham Tana Lawn™ Cotton’. Using the digital program ‘Procreate’ I explored ways I could distort and manipulate the print whilst incorporating contrasting colors, different interpretations of space and patterns and leading lines inspired by my own art style. I ended up with 4 alternate patterns.
