BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring
Louise McGowan was born in Belfast in 1992. After achieving Foundation Diploma in Art and Design at University of Ulster, McGowan moved to London in 2011 to study on the BA(hons) Bespoke Tailoring course at London College of Fashion. McGowan finds inspiration in art, architecture and craftsmanship to inform her own design aesthetic. She strives for perfection within her tailoring, combining traditional techniques and a contemporary design approach. After interning at Hunter Gather as Production Development Assistant in 2013, McGowan developed her final collection in which she explores masculinity; what it means to be a man in todayâs society, taking into consideration day-to-day observations of men, 19th and 20th century artistâs representations of men, and personal experiences of male family members and friends. Draws reference in particular to her own heritage and her own father. To McGowan a manâs instinct to protect is an interesting contradiction; it reveals a manâs sensitivity and his strength at the same moment. This is the desired visual effect for McGowanâs tailored collection. Tweeds from Magee in Donegal Town are used to reflect the landscape in which McGowan spent much of her childhood.