Patrick McDowell’s Floral-Themed Fashion Collections

Introduction: Patrick McDowell, Sustainable Fashion Designer

I'm Patrick McDowell and I'm a sustainable fashion designer based in London.

What Does "Being in Bloom" Mean?

Patrick, what does being in bloom mean to you?

Beyond the literal sense?

For me, being in bloom is all about finding my creative vision and having the space and time to think creatively and explore new and exciting ideas.

What's Currently Blossoming in Your Work?

So, speaking of blooming and blossoming, what part of yourself do you think is currently blossoming? I think right now

Vision for Sustainable Circular Fashion

my vision of a more sustainable circular fashion industry is blossoming, and I think the recognition for how we're doing that is blossoming, which is really special and heartwarming to see.

Which part of yourself do you think is still a seed wanting to grow, wanting to see more things?

I think we're still hoping to grow our collaborations and work more globally with incredible businesses and brands to have more of a global audience.

going to places I've never been to before.

Lessons from Nature

Patrick, is there a lesson that nature has taught you that you've carried into your work?

Yes, I think nature has taught me that not everything happens all at once, and sometimes you have to really nurture and look after something for it to grow properly.

So this is a mycelium leather from Ecovative, which is an amazing company we work with from America.

Mycelium Leather: Sustainable Innovation

Leather has a high impact on the planet, and so it's always really interesting to work with companies that are trying to create something different from a much less impactful beginning like mycelium.

The bit we eat is like the flower, and then there's like this foam stuff that they've engineered that grows to like this big, and then it gets sliced off and compressed, and that's what it becomes.

Upcycling Vintage: Silk from Wedding Dresses

silk jacquard from a vintage wedding dress.

We actually remade this wedding dress into a new gown for our last show, which was really exciting.

Sometimes the most amazing materials are actually just the ones that already exist.

Chrysanthemum Print on Tree-Based Fabric

And then this chrysanthemum print that we developed for the latest collection is printed on a material which is made from trees using lower energy and water, and traceable all the way back to the tree. So we've kind of got something that

Tulips as Design Inspiration is new but is new in a less harmful way.

Right now, I'm really inspired by tulips.

We use them as a motif in our last collection, and I've always loved how singular they are.

And when looked after, they're quite a strong flower, I think.

And I guess they also symbolise spring and new growth.

And I think there's something a bit cliché and also really beautiful about that as a fashion designer.

Patrick, actually, I can tell you a very interesting fact about tulips.

The Symbolism of White Flowers

I'm going to ask you a different question. Does white symbolise anything to you as a colour?

I think white for me is more of a blank canvas.

And for me, white flowers have always been the prettiest.

I think white and green

White & Green: A Calming Palette does something in my brain.

It makes me feel calm.

And it's almost like I can see the flower and its true beauty without colour.

So I just always preferred them like this.

So, Patrick, what is your favourite flower to have featured in one of your collections?

Most recently it was the chrysanthemum, which my grandma had at her wedding day in 1947.

Chrysanthemums & Family Stories were very lucky to have one of our pieces hand-painted at the event.

The artist used the chrysanthemums as the inspiration to then paint onto this piece, so as the event unravelled, so did the painting onto the skirt.

He develops this print, for example, that has almost like the ghost of a chrysanthemum.

Brass Instruments Meet Fashion: The Tuba Corset

As a kid, I played brass instruments.

And then for one of our collections, we were inspired by the orchestra and the whole show was about that.

It was at the Guildhall School of Music, and we found a very old and damaged tuba with this incredible floral engraving.

And so we worked with a metalworker to take it apart and recraft it into a corset, which was then one of the runway looks.