Location Shoot

Photography workshops conducted by Clémentine and Charlotte guided the young people to capture their own visions of the project, including hands-on experience of setting up their own makeshift studios and handling lighting for themselves. The self-directed shoots are part of the experience of understanding how cameras work technically — and understanding the value of their imagery as a form of documentary, exploration of identity and artistic self-expression. The images featured in this section are from the penultimate four-day location photoshoot led by Clémentine and Charlotte. The models are seen in the Autumn Winter 2020 collection shot around various locations in Wales. These locations included Brynmawr, Abertillery Park, Blaina, Keeper’s Pond Blaenavon and Ogmore-by-Sea.

Sarah Burton chose to make a series of lavender cotton silk faille dresses for the girls to wear for the shoot days. The scaled-down pattern is identical to an original look, number 13, in the Autumn Winter 2020 Welsh collection: long before the project came up, Sarah designed the dress while thinking of Caitlyn Thomas, and the visions of Welsh women who Dylan Thomas brought alive in his poetry. The girls took part in the fitting process with the McQueen atelier, who made dresses to fit each girl. The young models saw through all the steps the team took from toile stage to delivering the finished garments; giving visibility to the creation of an Alexander McQueen couture piece.