Posted Tuesday 1 June 2010
David Stoneman-Merret's late Nan Nancy Holton was his biggest fan. She delighted in her grandson's creative exploits, even going along with him to all the university open days when he was trying to narrow down where to pursue his dream of studying a fashion. Now in his final year at Kingston University in London, the 22 year old from Sittingbourne in Kent said he could not think of a better way to celebrate his Nan than in his latest work.
David's colourful men's knitwear range was inspired by the respect and admiration he felt for Nancy, and the rest of the older generation. For one of his most spectacular pieces he enlarged a favourite family photo of Nancy wearing a Christmas party hat, and used it to form the centrepiece on an over-sized jumper. "Nan would find the idea of being the face of my collection hilarious," David said. "She would have loved the attention - she'd be telling everyone 'That's me on that top!'."
David's collection owes much to his close knit family. Not only is Nan the inspiration behind his menswear, his mum Christine and aunt Linda have been putting their own knitting skills to the test by making accessories to accompany the outfits ahead of its launch during Graduate Fashion Week. "My family loves the idea that my work is inspired by Nan," David said. "They think she would be really proud."
David's flair for knitwear was spotted last year when he beat competition from 56 other fashion students to win an internship at Banana Republic's headquarters in New York. While in the Big Apple he used his spare time to start researching his latest work. "I took photos of the weird and wonderful outfits I saw older people wearing while I was walking around New York," he said. "I saw an elderly lady in the Museum of Modern Art wearing what looked like a nightdress, thick socks and trainers - that inspired me to play around with day and night wear, blurring the boundaries in garments like my all-in-ones and my nightcap shaped hats."
David is one of many Kingston fashion students who showcased their work at Graduate Fashion Week.
Kingston University's show took place on Monday 7 June at Earls Court 2.
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