Hannah Murphy

For my final major project, I chose to research folklore and design a costume intended for a modern day film, aimed at teenagers, showing how folklore creatures would live in our current world. I was inspired by the illustrations of Cicely Mary Barker, costume designers such as Colleen Atwood and trends from the 2021 fashion shows. I wanted the costume to reflect how a teen flower fairy may look in real life, so I also drew inspiration from plants; the final garment is inspired by a foxglove flower. As folklore has a lot of themes relating to nature, and the textiles industry is one of the most polluting industries, I wanted the costume to be as sustainable as possible. I used natural muslin fabric, which I hand dyed with blueberries and a mixture of red cabbage and bicarbonate of soda. I embellished the piece with hand and machine embroidery, beads, bells and ethically sourced beetle wings. These images all come from my final photoshoot of the costume. My instagram with more of my work is @stimurphy