Julian Roberts

Julian Roberts is a UK fashion designer with a long list of career achievements including 5 time winner of British Fashion Council’s New Generation Award. His work is whimsical, subversive, full of color, texture and volume. His silhouettes challenge the status quo by not always conforming to the form of the body but instead breaking away to create shapes, drapes and folds in unexpected places. What is especially interesting about his work is his experimental process for creating his garments. He has created a new and very innovative way of cutting garment patterns called “subtraction cutting”. The method uses huge pieces of fabric sewn into tubes. From these tubes, shapes are cut out, the tube is folded, and the outlines of the “subtracted” shapes are sewn together. This is done according to a few specific guidelines but with a great deal of room for experimentation. He teaches and performs this technique for the public at large. He’s incredibly open when it comes to sharing his techniques. As a designer I find this transparency and willingness to share refreshing. He doesn’t fear being outdone or copied. He trusts that each individual will have a unique way of interpreting his methods, and that creativity is not finite but rather something to be shared and celebrated for it’s boundless potential. 

Check out his website at www.julianand.com and click on “online cutting school” to have a look at his techniques in more detail.