Quinn — a champion for British design
Following designer Richard Quinn’s recent success, where he was awarded the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II award by Her Majesty The Queen, Epson held a conference ‘From Concept to Catwalk and Beyond’, to celebrate his success.
Wednesday, 21 Mar 2018 15:09 GMT
Richard Quinn in his Peckham studio, where his designs are created by himself and his team using Epson technology
Quinn uses the Epson Sure Color SC-59200 to print and create his pieces, having used the same type of technology during his MA at Central Saint Martins in London. Quinn also uses the Epson Sure Color S80600 to print the graphics that eventually wrap motorbike helmets.
During an intimate Q and A with the up and coming designer, he revealed that bringing production back to the UK, the quick turnaround times that in-house production provides, and having the ability to customise items are just some of the reasons Quinn set up his studio, commenting: “There is the spirit of doing it yourself—it’s nice to think there are people out there that want to change things.”
I think the challenge now, is get youngsters coming in to do some of the textile design fulfilment”
Having production in-house also gives the Richard Quinn brand the upper hand if customers require a fast turnaround, or a one-off piece. The Epson technology, screen printing area, and sewing stations allow Quinn and his team to pull it out of the bag. One example of this is his work with singer Lady Gaga.
The Just Dance singer asked Quinn to design and create costumes for herself and her dancers to wear during her global Joanne World Tour. At the time, Quinn explained: “We had to take into consideration the extreme wear and tear that these outfits will experience during the tour. With the Sure Color’s unique ability to digitally print four-pass using a pre-tested EMX colour profile, we can achieve a high ink density fast and within budget, to produce high-impact colour and quality images.
“I just wouldn’t have been able to meet Lady Gaga’s deadline without this flexibility and Epson technology meaning I can produce everything here under one roof.”
Quinn designed and create costumes for Lady Gaga and her dancers during her recent Joanne World Tour (Getty Images)
Quinn has a busy year ahead, with a more price-friendly collection for Debenhams launching in May, with all of the collection still created in his Peckham hub using Epson technology. The designer also has plans to expand his studio, allowing for another printer that can be used to make bigger collections and offer more room to the students and other designers that use his space.
During Heather Kendle’s introduction to Quinn, she noted that in terms of the general textile trend, it was small, but growing considerably. Kendle also says that the textile industry and fashion industry can be boosted by young people getting involved and inspired by technology such as the Sure Color series of dye-sublimation printers.
Kendle adds: “I think the fascinating bit is that we could get textiles back into Europe, because I think it’s not got a good reputation. Fashion is a really aspirational business for the youngsters to get into, but for some reason textiles isn’t, it’s seen as an old-fashioned technology. So, I think the challenge now, is get youngsters coming in to do some of the textile design fulfilment.”
If you have an interesting story or a view on this news, then please e-mail
news@signlink.co.uk
Follow Genevieve on:
