We hope you enjoyed reading about Deryck Walker’s design journey last week as much as we enjoyed sharing it. His journey has been truly unique, and we love how deeply influenced he was by his time at Harris Tweed, another Scottish textile institution. As we mentioned last week, our brief to Deryck was to take a stash of our interior fabric, play about with them, and create a small collection of garments. And boy did he deliver…
Deryck, tell us about picking the fabric and what you did next?
It didn’t take long to choose the fabrics I wanted to work with. I had about 6 looks in mind within about an hour I knew which fabrics I wanted to take home. These days I sketch with the fabrics themselves, so once I got them into the studio, I played with them, and the pieces took shape. The fabric was great to use, and I was so delighted with how the pieces turned out.
Look One: Cirsium Damson
Voyage said: Deryck chose to use one of our most well-known and well-loved prints, Cirsium Damson. A print that captures the beloved and hardy Scottish thistle. Depicted in watercolour, the thistles are generously strewn across the print, seemingly dancing in the wind.
Deryck said: With this being one of Voyage’s most popular prints, we thought it would be cool to use it in a different and boundary-pushing way. Whilst I initially wanted to create a gothic feel, I ended up wanting to create a travelling look. I suggested we make a big duvet with straps on it and turn it into a rucksack. There’s something protective about the piece, whilst this chap journeys through the thistles. You’ll notice we used curtain eyelets to help with the straps - you wouldn’t normally use these in fashion, so that was quite fun. Even though the rucksack is on the surreal side, the paper bag trousers are wearable and relevant and work so well in the Cirsium print.
Look Two: Fortaleza
Voyage said: Our Fortazela print is bright, bold and spring-like. An amalgamation of foliage in nearly neon hues on a stark white or dark background.
Deryck said: I was so pleased with this piece and thought it looked a bit Gucci. I used Fortazela to make a Chanel-style jacket, wee shorts, a shirt, and a bow. It came together beautifully and looked smart. The Voyage team had the idea to cut a hole in the wallpaper to make it look like he was growing out of the wall. I think he looks regal in his floral camouflage.
Look Three: Florabunda
Voyage said: Our new Florabunda range is a summery mélange of horticultural delights; a cheerful and colourful ode to Britain’s bountiful hedgerows and gardens.
Deryck said: In terms of pattern, this was one of my favourites. The dress we made was deliberately floaty, and we used cords to pull it in tight. A large bow hung off the back of the dress, making it a lovely fabric to work with. Whilst it’s a really feminine print that would work amazingly with pretty heels, you could see the model wearing Doc Martens, too. I love how she’s wearing her white sneakers, making it more street.
Look Four: Azima
Voyage said: Azima is an abstract print that contains a myriad of painterly brushstrokes. Whilst Azima already comes in a range of colours, this print’s beaming and intense colours were created exclusively for the Voyage Maison x Deryck Walker project.
Deryck said: This piece was my favourite and was actually the first garment we shot. I just think it’s so cool, the way he’s emerging from the wall. I love wearing a boiler suit, and when I got the fabric, it was so long that I thought it would be perfect.
If you missed it catch up with part 1 of Deryck's interview Voyage Maison x Deryck Walker Interview Part 1here.
Watch out for our collaboration with Deryck on our @voyage_maison socials and see more of Deryck's fabulous work at @deryckwalkerstudio
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