A Love Affair with Memory
on 1/2/11
Irish-born Fashion student Stacey Grant is reviving a family tradition that stretches back over five generations but was abruptly cut short when her father suffered a stroke nearly twenty years ago. Stacey, an MA student who recently exhibited as part of Kingston University's catwalk show at Vauxhall Fashion Scout, has taken her father’s menswear patterns and reworked them as highly distinctive womenswear.
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Roy Grant, Stacey's Dad, in 2009
Stacey is the Great-Grandaughter of Anthony and Mary Ellen O’Donovan, who jointly owned the Danus clothing factory, one of the largest employers in Limerick, Ireland. Her father, Roy Grant, became a master tailor and trained in Savile Row. In 1991 he had a stroke and, though he has made a good recovery, the resulting memory loss meant he was unable to continue his work.
Knowing the hard work that had gone into them, Stacey’s mother kept her husband’s patterns in the hope that they could be put to use one day. Now Stacey has used them to inspire her new womenswear collection, even digitally printing the notations from one of the patterns on to her own jackets. His handwriting can be seen on the lapels and in several places there are spots which represent wax splodges. “We didn’t have any lights in our loft when we were kids so when Dad went to find things up there he’d take a candle and there are still drops of wax on some of the patterns,” Stacey explained.
Reflecting on her father’s stroke and its impact on her work, Stacey said: “My love affair with memory stems from an observation of its fragility and propensity to diminish”.
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Stacey Grant Blazer with her Fathers handwriting digitally printed
When Stacey became interested in garments, she decided to learn how to tailor. She studied textbooks and started taking apart suits she had bought at charity shops to study the stitching. “I had to teach myself the skills that he would have been able to show me himself,” she reflected. “By looking inside the clothes, I could see all the tailoring techniques and start to repair the broken lineage.”
Stacey graduated with a first class honours degree from Limerick School of Art and Design. While there, she took a sabbatical and worked in India as Assistant Designer at Ashish N Soni, creating garments for New Delhi Fashion Week. She was a finalist in the 2009 Nokia Young Fashion Designer of the year awards in Dublin and has designed costumes for the theatre.
All eight looks she exhibited paid tribute to her father’s trade. “Stitches that are normally unseen, pad stitching, taping and handmade shoulder pads are all visible. What once was hidden is now revealed, inviting the observer and the wearer to appreciate the beauty of the tailor’s craft."
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Blazer - MA Student Stacey Grant - Kingston University
