Alexandra Shortall

Grey Sheep

alexandrashortalldesigns

Location

City of Edinburgh / United Kingdom

University

edinburgh college of art

Graduation year

2023

Contact

I'm Alexandra Shortall, a graduate designer who specialises in womenswear and knitwear design. My personal love for the ocean has led me to explore why I and fellow 'thalassophiles' feel so drawn to the great blue. This research, and my personal connection to my thalassophile customer, combines to create a collection that transports you straight to the sea.
As well as designing for fellow lovers of the ocean, I wanted to insure my collection was designed for the modern woman. I designed my graduate collection for women who feel connected to nature, spirituality and to their femininity, but at the same time are strong, ambitious, and proud. I have often found that women are expected to sacrifice parts of their femininity in order to claim a space in the workforce. I wanted to design a collection that celebrated both sides of my customer, allowing her to protect the softness of her character while remaining strong.

Latest Collection

Thalassophile aw24

Thalassophile- graduate collection 2023

thalassophile- lover of the ocean, someone who loves the sea

my graduate collection has been driven by my love for the ocean. i wanted to analyse why i and fellow thalassophytes feel so driven to the coast, and then create a collection that would feel like it was transporting my customer straight to the coast. for this i was particularly inspired by the ebbs and flows of water, the patterns created by the shore lapping at the sand. i investigated this through draping on the stand to create similar movement. i also enjoyed translating this movement in more unconventional materials such as metal and glass.

This juxtaposition of materials, both rigid and flowing, was designed with the modern woman in mind. we are often boxed in as women, having to chose between being either soft and feminine, or strong and independent. this is especially in the workplace. and here i wanted to create a collection that protects my customers femininity,while still emulating her strength.