Tilly Jenkins

My inspiration comes from my home, the city of Bradford. My final collection has been influenced by the resilience found in communities facing economic hardship and the idea that poverty is not bleak and grey but bright and gaudy. The colour palette is inspired by the wonderful bright, rich colours found in playgrounds, South Asian fabric stores and the colours of garish £1 shops with their neon price tags. I have selected colours from these ideas, to create vibrancy and depth. The colours relate to the themes: - hi-vis yellow,glen green, Bombay blue, hula hoop red, price tag pink and Bradford City Bordeaux, giving a sense of northern humour. The designs were screen printed using recycled or deadstock materials where possible. Images used in designs include experimentation with shapes taken from photographs of multicultural street parties from my childhood and first-hand images of play equipment, road signs, shop fronts and run-down industrial buildings. The vision is of fashion print for everyone that is striking and fun, that can be made into street wear that will be valued and will last. I have used wherever possible materials locally sourced from small businesses in Bradford. Hope is a strong feature of Bradford’s year as the Capital of Culture 2025, highlighting the strength and resilience of its communities.