A GRADUATE from Arts University Bournemouth has used some of his work there as the basis for a new line for Debenhams.

Daniel Rynne has been working for the department store’s design team for the past year after winning the Debenhams Menswear Award at Graduate Fashion Week 2017.

He was given the opportunity to create his own capsule collection for Debenhams and collaborate with shoe manufacturer Loake, basing the work on his graduate collection and his experience with the store.

He said: “A year and a half ago I could never have imagined myself in this position. I was making leather goods and men’s accessories. Men’s clothing was something I wore, not what I designed.”

He added: “It was my course leader at university that took me to one side and told me I should look into creating a menswear collection, that I should include all the detail I put into my bags into clothing and really investigate what menswear really is. I can’t thank him enough for that.

“This last year has been an amazing experience. I have gone from winning the award to working in a great design environment and being mentored by fantastic designers. This year has taught me the reality of fashion design, how to design for an existing customer and how to take my inspiration and aesthetic and convey it in a commercial way, which has been a really important journey.”

He said his passion was historical influence in fashion and he loves the research involved, as well as coming up with the concepts.

His graduate collection was based on the work of Dorothea Lange and the Farm Security Administration, which was formed to combat poverty in the US during the Great Depression.

“The dust bowl imagery was so striking and detailed that every image evoked some form of feeling or idea. A lot of it was inspired by the photos from that time; the colours, the fabrics, the deconstructed and reconstructed look,” he said.

“It all revolves around the idea of oversized clothing being universal and fitting. There’s lots of wraparound features and buttons and clasps. There are lots of details and rivets and hardware. “Menswear for me is all about the details, and I still hold that value as a core piece of my design DNA. The fabric is all hand-dyed and natural fabric. It all kind of reflects the era, whilst still being quite contemporary.”

He said he wanted to create “heirloom pieces” that could be handed down and worn in different environments, by people of different genders and sizes.