09 Dec Tegan Peel – “a small fish in a big pond”
Tegan Peel and I are perched knee to knee in a cluttered and chaotic workshop of London College of Fashion (LCF). She greeted me with an enthusiastic yet rushed hug. The constant noise of clattering machine pieces and sounds of personal torment and dismay, is just another day at the office as a student menswear fashion designer.
During a pattern cutting workshop at LCF, Tegan Peel finds and designs silhouettes for inspiration to create a final garment for a project entitled ‘multifunctional fashion’.
Walking in as a visitor to the workshops of LCF, I am filled with the undeniable sense of intimidation at the sight of people walking around with the confidence to freely express their creative instincts and emotions without any doubt in themselves. I can only imagine the excitement to actually attend as a student: to know that it is okay to not fit in, this white-collar conservative lead country. As a first year, Tegan says, “It can be intimidating when you’re going into the building to do your own work outside of lessons, because it’s a new environment that you’re not used to and you’re a small fish in a big pond”. However, as preppy 19-year-old, I was intimidated by those people, because I felt envious of their self-expression and assurance.
The final garment designed and made by Tegan Peel using the concept of ‘multifunctional fashion’ as inspiration. She used a blow-up mattress to show that “the air bed can be removed from the model and still used for its correct purpose”.
In order to create the ‘perfect’ garment, Tegan describes the process of making and how it takes a lot of her time and energy up in order to make something that she is happy to present at the end. “I have to realise that I’m only in first year everything is still a massive learning curve. I’m learning techniques that are a lot more advanced to those I’m used to and at this moment I don’t want to put the pressure on myself for it to be perfect”. She then goes on to tell me “I’d rather create something that is so unique and interesting, but it be not well made rather than make a perfect garment that’s boring and doesn’t reflect my personality”. The amount of time Tegan has to, but also wants to, put into making her garment/collection doesn’t just include the making of a garment. She explains “There’s so much planning that goes into making a garment. LCF are big on using a lot of 3D work and collaging to start off your research and encourage lot of visuals and primary research which really does help form ideas of silhouette etc. After that it’s designing, then sampling, making a toile and perfecting it then eventually making a final garment”. As described by one of her friends, Erin Chegwyn, “Her designs express experimental simplicity using complex techniques”
As a student myself, I know the struggle it is not to buy new clothes with the tempting student loan. But I wanted to understand the pressure Tegan might feel to keep her wardrobe up to date with the latest styles and trends which are so costly, money that a student like herself does not have. “Charity shops are the one! You can get such good clothes from there and obviously it’s good for the environment and you’re supporting charity. Sometimes charity shops sell fabric too which is a bonus”, she says. Tegan also says, “My fashion style changes, obviously I see so many people in really cool outfits going to LCF, but you’ve just got to be true to yourself and wear clothes that you’re comfortable wearing”.
