Flett Bertram was one of the standout students from this year’s LCF BA show, her intricate designs were unusual but still carried a classy femininity. Gutter-press enthusiast that I am, I spotted Diana Vickers in a trash mag wearing one of Flett’s skirts on the red carpet, which must be a thrill for any recent graduate. I spoke to Flett recently about her collection and it kind of illuminated why I liked it so much, as well as asking her about Diana Vickers. Obvs.
A textile student rather than straight womenswear Flett specialised in embroidery, but she opted for a more unconventional approach. The centrepiece of her collection consisted of tasselled taffeta, which was created by pulling threads in the fabric: “Playing with fabrics is what it’s all about for me. Instead of traditional stitch embroidery, I tried to create new textures by knotting and removing threads from fabrics that came about through experimentation.”
“The original concept behind the collection stemmed from my interest in 17th century Vanitas paintings which were first introduced to me during my year of art studies in Switzerland. The paintings are a kind of symbolic memento mori and picture delicate objects such as decaying flowers, bubbles, snuffed out candles and broken glass which are trying to represent the inevitability of death.”
I was excited to hear that we share an interest in Victorian mourning jewellery, as when I saw the black laser cut pieces I did think of the facetted jet: “I also looked at other forms of memento mori and many of my textiles were inspired by Victorian mourning jewellery from made from carved jet or delicately knotted human hair.”
“Originally the colour palette was fairly diverse and had meaning behind it, but as the collection evolved the combination of pale blue and black came to the forefront and somewhat took over. Although there are little hints of cream and grey, I feel the overall impacts comes from the pale blue taffeta.”
Despite designing such an accomplished collection Flett says: “my personal style isn’t as well defined as I’d like it to be – I’ve been so busy I haven’t been shopping for almost a year!” Adding: ” In general I think my style is quite feminine and youthful. If I had the money, I’d wear Christopher Kane and Miu Miu dresses all the time.” You can see how she’s been influenced by those two labels, both Miuccia Prada and Christopher Kane are experts at creating brief dresses which feel powerful.
I asked her what her post-uni plans were: “I don’t think I am ready yet to set up my own label but I would love to work within the textiles department of a super luxury brand such as Chloe or Chanel. The idea of working in Paris really excites me so I’m looking into that at the moment. I am also quite interested in further developing my skills by doing a Masters, but perhaps I’ll have to wait until I’ve earned a little money first!” They seem a lot more sensible than mine were, and I’d love to see her skills transferred to a big fashion house.
My inner mag whore had to find out about the red-carpet sleb deal: “Diana attended the LCF Press Show and then a few days later I received an email from her stylist. I felt flattered that she chose to wear my garments for another fashion event, especially as there were so many beautiful collections at the LCF show.”
Finally this interview was completely selfish, as I just wanted to find out more about the collection and also where to buy. Flett helpfully told me: “At the moment I only have samples, so the pieces are one-offs and aren’t currently stocked anywhere. However, if someone were interested in purchasing a piece, they are more than welcome to come to me directly!” I was first, but if you are interested in buying a piece you can contact her here.
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