Sculptural fashion by Jane Bowler

CreateVoice (the Victoria & Albert Museum's youth collective) have worked with designer Jane Bowler on several of our events in the last few years, and it's been amazing to see new collection after new collection released to the public after doing workshops and taster sessions of our own with her! Jane's work, whilst hugely varied, focuses on sculptural form and experimental materials, using unexpected but everyday materials such as plastic in new ways. Her work has been worn by the likes of Ellie Goulding, Azealia Banks and Sophie Turner, and has been featured in Nylon, V, Hunger and Idol magazines. My personal favourite collection is AW13 (pictured above), of course, because it's mainly monochrome - all I wear these days - with colour pop accents, but retaining the strong aesthetic of the rest of the collections: armour-like, tessellating plastic and leather panels; exaggerated fringing, and oversized knits with unusual textures.

Jane is coming back to the V&A this Friday to lead a CreateInsights session about setting up a fashion business - it's free and drop in, and will be held at 6:30pm in the Digital Studio in the Learning Centre*. Find out more here.

*This can be hard to find! From the main entrance, walk straight through the shop to the Sculpture Gallery. Turn right, then you'll see the bookshop to your left, and a staircase to the right. Go up that staircase, then turn right at the top, past the Jewellery Gallery. Keep walking until you see Gallery 101, Europe & America 1800-1900 and Gallery 100, Photographs. Turn into either of those and the Learning Centre is right in front of you. I recommend using the interactive map, too - the museum can be a maze.

AW13 shot by Lucia O'Connor-McCarthy | AW12 shot by Kate Garner  | SS15 shot by Rama Lee