Isla Sharp

‘Imperishable Jewels’ is based on the patterns and illustrative messages found within ancient jewellery. I chose to create a selection of intricate and detailed motifs from my first hand research to construct a modern day high end menswear collection. My inspiration was taken from visits to luxury jewellery stores such as Tiffanys and Bvlgari as well as other small independent jewellers, the British Museum and The V&A where I gathered a lot of my first hand imagery.
I wanted to look closely at the designs on ancient jewellery as well as the shapes and cut of diamonds and precious stones. I also took photos of old fashioned pots, ancient gold plaques and crests along with stained glass window designs to expand my sources of inspiration.
I was excited to see how the designs looked when they were abstracted and re-visioned onto fashion garments rather than lost on ancient bits of precious stone/metal. I have produced a combination of screen printed and digital outcomes on a variation of high quality satins, cottons and jerseys which showcase interesting repeat structures and provide obvious narrative to the collection.