Meet Maddie Williams, Redress Design Award 2019 First Prize winner

Ecological breakdown lies at the heart of Maddie Williams’ powerful competition collection, ‘The Mourners’. “My designs represent the eco-grief we are collectively feeling at the devastation of the planet,” says the designer, who holds a BA in Fashion Design from Edinburgh College of Art. “They also act as a warning. Memento mori symbolism - the medieval Latin Christian theory and practice of reflection on mortality - is embedded within the textile and print designs to remind us that time is running out.” Fittingly, Willliams draws inspiration from death gods and rituals, as well as witches burnt at the stake for their links with the natural world, to inform the silhouettes and rich colours of the collection, which was built from reclaimed materials. “Clothing that would otherwise have gone to rag men or ended up in landfill was dismantled and reworked into new garments,” says Maddie, who previously interned at Vivienne Westwood. Screen printing with water soluble inks, as well as handwoven textural effects contribute to garments that are intricate, dramatic and surprisingly joyous.

“Through my work, I try to show that conscious fashion does not have to play it safe and be minimal, but that it can also excite and tell stories.” To keep the collection as low impact as possible, materials are sourced in England and recyclability is carefully considered. “I will only use cloth of the same fibre content within each garment, which means they can be more easily recycled back into a pure yarn for re-use,” says Maddie. The ability of fashion to communicate big ideas is vital to her concepts. “Fashion can be a more accessible, democratic medium than academic papers and books for disseminating ideas because of its visual, tactile nature. We need to change the industry drastically - and now.”

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