It isn’t unjust to say that a muse is one of the forefront what makes a fashion designer great. A person, place or era to provoke the foundations of fashion's most innovative eureka moments. In many ways, the UK’s diverse and fluid communities have inspired some of the most pivotal and iconic moments in fashion history.
For young designer Claire Barrow, her fascination with underground London punk subcultures is the core drive behind her effortlessly unique brand. Originally from the Stockton-On-Tees, Barrow attended the University of Westminster, where she pursued her love of fashion. It was during the sandwich year of the course when she first dipped her toe into the industry by customising vintage leather jackets, giving them an artistic rebirth varying from hand painted designs, to original prints and textiles.
Seam to seam, preloved jackets became works of art in their own right, adorned with quirky and eccentric creatures, and abstract experiments with shapes and figure. The birthplace of her inspiration is first and foremost through art, to which her fashion weaves an intimately woven partnership with. “The question is always, ‘Is it fashion or art?’” Barrow told Dazed, almost rather fed up of the unnecessary need for distinction between the two. In the pieces she creates, the line between fashion and art are purposefully blurred, and most importantly experimental. A hot mess materialised.
Soon enough, commissions that began in her inner circles, spread wider and wider, propelling her initial hobby onto the fashion world’s radar. In her last year of university, Barrow was taking regular orders from clients in the industry and across the capital.Before long, the wacky yet endearing prints had been tipped off to the likes of Vogue's fashion director Francesca Burns, and world class photographer Terry Richardson for i-D, who both featured the signature jackets in shoots for the international publications.
Her designs began attracting London's fashion cognoscenti despite, or perhaps because of, the small volume of production. All Barrow's pieces are painstakingly made by hand herself, with assistance from a small team. "I'm not a great technical artist," Barrow said in a past interview. "I just like having ideas. I wouldn't want a job that wasn't creating new ideas." True to her word, she went on to produce a season's worth of quirky creations, to complete her own collection for the university's graduate show. Fashion East creator Lulu Kennedy was duly impressed, and in turn awarded Barrow one of only three places available for a London Fashion Week slot reserved for future talent in 2013.
In widening the scope of her collection, Barrow continues to incorporate both fashion and illustration, now covering and transforming unconventionally cut garments, as well as tailoring and accessories with her outlandish characters. The edgy, punk-inspired aesthetic has captured the attention of thousands, with her online presence growing by the day. More recently, her collection for AW15 incorporates the idea of London's creative spaces being increasingly submerged by its corporate neighbours. Including printed leathers and loose floaty silk, the collection aims to empower women by introducing the idea of breaking out of corporate restraints, with a generous helping of fun and femininity.
Barrow's evident skill and interest in art is at the forefront of her designs, and large part of her brand's appeal. Arguably one of her most notable pieces to date, the ‘Guernica' jacket, unapologetically depicts a very personal stance on the state of the world we live in. Taking into account the symbolism of war and pleas for prosperity that Picasso's original is famous for, the jacket's directive is hugely relevant to today's social and political climate.
Barrow's collections also show a constant and undeniably intentional nod towards the punk era and a recognition of what it stood for - the DIY ethos, and a new indifference towards the restrictions and order. The distressed and whimsical imperfections of Claire's pieces aren't dissimilar to that of Vivienne Westwood's earlier work. Just by taking one look at her collection, it is evident that the clothes are a love letter uniquely homaging to the revolutionary movement that began with Westwood and McLaren's Worlds End store, and to the pivotal punk culture that came along with it.
Not only do Claire's inspirations stem from punk's original pioneers, but from those who led the movement hands-on; the gangs themselves. She’s previously explained how girl gang films of the 60's and 70's inspired her raw and expressive take on female fashion. Motivated by a subculture built on self-expression and individuality, the girl power element of Barrow's work is as present as her own artistic personality.
In just a handful of years, Barrow has become a high-profile industry figure, in fashion and in the wider arts consciousness. With plaudits from usual suspects of Dazed, Wonderland and endless fashion-conscious publications alike, her rough and ready approach has found favour with some impressive taste-makers. Not only has Beth Ditto been seen proudly sporting custom pieces, but electronica nymphet FKA Twigs has adopted Barrow's line exclusively. Few young designers could expect to progress so quickly from staging their debut catwalk show, to receiving rather jacket commissions from none other than Rihanna for her own album shoot.
With LFW fast approaching, expectations of the designer are high. But geared with her passion, charm and unhindered imagination, she isn't likely to disappoint.
Follow Claire on Instagram here.
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