The title of Tess McNab’s graduate collection ‘Beloved sweetheart bastard’ is taken from the poem Havisham, by Carol Ann Duffy. The juxtaposition of ‘sweetheart’ and ‘bastard’ in the same line is reflected in her use of fabrics and materials. To embody the contrast of emotions, she has used materials associated with sculpture - mod roc and resin applied on fabrics that have drape, lightness and movement, adding constraint to something soft and delicate.

The silhouettes are influenced by the raw, simplistic imagery of Pina Bausch and her choreography, the work of Antony Gormley and the sculptures of Michael O’Keefe, creating a disjointed, asymmetric figure. Styled with an emotive, ‘half dressed’ approach, accessorised with intricate bandage wrap gloves, sculptural head pieces and half shoes; each garment becoming more distressed when worn, reflecting the form changing impact of emotion.