Emily Halligan

'Value' is a womenswear collection that juxtaposes imagery of supermarkets with extravagant, feminine design. The supermarket stood out to me as one of the most visually rich yet mundane spaces in our lives; we are presented with a mass of different colours, graphics and textures but are numbed to its effect because it is part of our weekly routine. I was specifically inspired by the uniform structure of stacked shelves and the contrasting organic shapes of fruit and vegetables. A big influence on this project was the Pop Art movement, for the way it mixed the ‘low’ culture of mass production with the ‘high’ culture of the art world, reframing items from normal life in a new context. With this concept, I have created designs aimed at a couture level that deliberately display imagery associated with a lower class than the couture market. A uniting factor in the supermarket and the world of fashion is the use of strong recognisable branding, which, in the case of fashion, is worn as a status symbol. I have explored this idea that a brand name can add value to a garment by developing motifs from branded supermarket products, which carry connotations of being inexpensive and ordinary. With my work, I am playfully challenging class attitudes and this notion of exclusivity that exists within fashion.