FRANK TAPLIN
CREATIVE BIO:
Frank (Francis) Taplin is a fashion designer based in Melbourne, Australia. He draws inspiration from the processes of quality garment construction, the beauty of raw materials, and the art of handworked craftsmanship in the age of mechanical and automated production. Frank’s practice primarily focuses on pushing the conventions of menswear tailoring, aiming to expose and express the hidden processes of construction in the final garment through advanced pattern making and artisanal handworking techniques.
As a recipient of the Australian Wool Education Trust grant, Frank was able to fully realise his collection with use of extremely high quality wool and timelessly handmade construction. He was also selected to present this collection in the Melbourne Fashion Week Student Collections Runway, and was showcased in the Fleece to Fashion competition.
DESIGN STATEMENT:
A Perfectly Fitting Suit? Is a collection that explores the relationship between the structure and fluidity found in classic menswear tailoring. By introducing slashes and drapes throughout these garments, an interaction of structural and nonstructural form is explored. This further allows these otherwise familiar archetypes to be simultaneously viewed as new, unfamiliar garments. The nature of garment construction is also explored, the processes and techniques that go into creating garments that are often hidden come into the final execution. This reveals the beauty in seemingly incomplete elements of a garment, and ultimately fosters an amalgamation of all stages of a suit's construction, from fitting to the final press.
