MADISON BAKER VAN URK
CREATIVE BIO
Sydney-based fashion designer, Madison Baker van Urk captures shape and sophistication in the specialty of womenswear. Industry work experiences, a certificate of design fundamentals and bachelors degree in fashion design have Baker’s skills expand pattern making, tailoring, draping, styling, design conceptualisation and critical thinking.
Special interests in digital tools such as the adobe suite have strengthened skills regarding digital pattern making, digital illustration, technical illustrations, photo editing and video editing. Special interests concerning 3D rendering, 2D rendering, laser cutting and 3D printing have also found use in past design development as ways to develop compelling textures or solve complex patternmaking.
Baker’s design inspiration arises from shape and how their qualities can be re-imagined and subverted into compelling design. A personal appreciation for the architectural style of brutalism and the sprawling landscape of tropical jungles have brought Baker to a unique design vision that balances the spontaneity of natural form with the calculated hand of human intervention. Inevitably, her vision is one that harmonises the dissonance between structural form and organic ornamentation.
DESIGN STATEMENT
BRUT BOTANIC is a Fall/Winter womenswear capsule collection that harmonises the aesthetics of brutalist architecture and organic nature, visioning to pair structural form with organic ornamentation.
A-line silhouettes and form-fit shapes are characteristic to the capsule’s architectural inspiration, although are contrasted by monochrome greens, earthly tones and organic lines which work harmoniously to compliment each piece of the collection.
Circular line is prominent within this collection, with consideration for how the circle engages with repetition, negative space and the body to create a compelling design. The relationship between opacity and negative space is one explored in the Monstera dress, Algae look and sarracenia ensemble, with mesh cut-out detailing and woollen rings as signatures to each look. The sheer, vertically layered organza texture on the Lichen look flows in motion and catches the light with each layered petal, mesmerising as layers of sheer build to opaque.
As a recipient of the Australian Wool Mark grant, Madison’s collection is predominantly wool based. Wool suiting, merino jersey and cashmere-finish fabrics place Brut Botanic as a capsule collection optimal for climates where the chilled seasons require extra pieces to layer and mix. Sheer elements are fabricated in power mesh, organza and lace mesh to contrast with the wool but work together to produce harmonious garments that are grounded in design.
