Liberty Dauber, design process

Liberty was inspired by her love of football for this collection and how important this has been in her life since being a child and how important it can be to others. She used old football memorabilia and original print designs to recreate a sense of nostalgia and a “hand me down” feel within her garments representing generations of football fans.

“I want to influence more people to consider sustainability within their work and have the confidence to create clothes that hold stories from their previous owners which will contribute to your own story when you wear them,” says Liberty. “This is something I have highlighted within this collection, I have re-purposed memorabilia that I’m sure has been enjoyed by many and now it can be enjoyed in a new way, in your way, and that is so important to me as a designer.”

Liberty wanted to create a body of work that allows people to feel represented and encourages them to be proud of their roots but could also act as a positive change to the fashion industry by using some of the sporting waste. This influenced her to utilise old football scarves that involved the words “UNITED” to highlight inclusivity and pride but also be sustainable. Liberty was heavily influenced by language and sociolect within her work to highlight passion and took nuances from language associated with football which portrays humour.

Building on influences from sociolect and humour, Liberty took inspiration from profane language which led to her creating her own original print design. Then, Liberty took the phrase and manipulated it into a repeat pattern which was then sublimation printed onto scrap jersey fabric so the garments remained sustainable and zero waste. Additionally, she created an original scarf design using the profane slogan to highlight her concept and enhance humourous connotations. Furthermore, Liberty used digital embroidery to sew typography onto different parts of the garments to further enhance the idea of sociolect.

This is Liberty’s final collection line up. The design brief was to create two looks from the line up but Liberty created three looks to create a tracksuit series. The collection is designed to include sustainable fabric and processes that utilise zero waste as well as displaying Liberty’s original print designs derived from her concept. The illustrations are inspired by “lad” subculture depicting a streewear feel which is enhanced by the relaxed style of garment designs.