Hanna Hanhela‘s design process started as a reflection on her complex relationship with her grandmother. Whilst she was an important influence on the Aalto graduate’s early clothes making and eventually choosing a fashion path, she also triggered insecurities around body image. The collection is designed from the perspective of a tailor slowly losing their memory, just like Henhela’s grandmother’s losing hers to increasing Alzheimer’s. Bittersweet emotions and memories of actions, events and people that fade and eventually disappear are translated into a collection of deteriorating and disordered garments created with a tight grip on tailoring. The collection presents a process of memory loss in the form of well-known shapes, with subtle fragmentation, interpreted as mistakes, but never losing the craft skill and precision. Yet, the regression gradually becomes more severe, and the garments are increasingly confused, twisted and frail. Sculptured and elongated silhouettes paired with fragile finishing are apparent in the outer garments and tailoring, whilst the undergarments, slips and knits are delicate, sheer and body conscious. The process of making is visible in salvages and fraying, and construction lines and seam allowances are peppered throughout. The muted colour palette is counterbalanced by red, symbolising the vibrancy of the person Henhela once knew.
