My work as a designer is heavily influenced by the time I spent travelling in places such as Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Morocco. I gathered a huge breath of visual information from my time there, which informs my colour palette, embellishment and design aspects.

I feel it is important to recognise the significant impact that these travels have on my work.

In my second year at the R.C.A., I focused on millinery as my primary mode of textile exploration and design. It was through various
projects and design development in my first year that my inherent love of millinery design really came to the fore.

This was compounded by a collaboration I did with Charlie Ross, from 2nd year menswear, which resulted in one of my headpieces being shown on the catwalk at the R.C.A. Fashion Show 09 and also by a work placement I had during the summer of 2009, for Philip Treacy, in London.

My collections are primarily based on time I spent in Morocco, last summer. I had the opportunity to travel there, as a result of the Dyers Company Colour Award I received in the last term of my first year at the R.C.A.

I was inspired by the incredible colours, textures and visual information that I encountered while in the region. The colours I gathered range from dusty muted pastels to strong, sharp shots of intense colour, these have heavily influenced my palette. I came across areas of texture in Morocco, that were heavily layered though years of over painting and worn away with extended periods of use, these elements are very evident in my collections, especially in my final collection.

I also took inspiration for my final collection from microscopic pollen seeds, magnified pictures of which were taken by Rob Kessler for a collection of images, for the Kew Garden Collections. These magnificent images formed the starting points, from which I developed the shape for my final collection of headpieces. The elegance and beauty of these natural shapes were incredibly inspiring and combined with the influences from Morocco, I feel they pushed my work in a new direction.

I have combining traditional millinery techniques with my breath of textile experience in hand embellishment and application, to create a
final collection of statement headpieces, that are very ethnically inspired. The shape, textures and colour, that have inspired me, are quite evident in the final pieces. Flashes of brights against a muted worn palette of Moroccan pastels work well together to create arresting pieces, that cannot but be noticed for their beauty.

These millinery headpieces are for the couture and bespoke market.