Felix Lewis

BA (Hons) Fashion 2020

Felix was a menswear designer specialising in multi-function, transformative garments, creative cut and knitwear.

A lover of all elements of menswear, inspired by his working in his Aunt and Uncle’s boutique, Ruskin in Whitstable, Felix’s work celebrated its key characteristics as well as questioning what makes good menswear, the meanings behind garments and the men who wear them. Functionality was a defining element of his design practice and narratives were developed as the basis of his research and design process.

Second year work included multi-functional jackets referencing Himalayan mountain climbing and traditional Japanese silhouettes re-purposing vintage garments. The craft and materiality of the garments Felix made were always key to his designs with technical fabrics sitting alongside knit as he created his own shapes through this method.

Felix had begun to develop a concept for his final year collection on BA Fashion. Building upon his design philosophy in second year, Felix had begun to collect research stemming from his love of the drum and bass scene, its music and the sportswear worn to its events. This was balanced with the nuances of tailoring, such as the cut, construction and details of garments individually made and the importance of fit with insight gained into this arena through his employment at Frank Rostrum, the Manchester-based bespoke shirt makers.

Tragically, Felix died in August 2019 and he was unable to complete his final year at university. His passing left a great hole in the year where this creative, charming, articulate, funny, passionate and caring young man should be. He has been greatly missed by staff and students alike, both in terms of his unique character but also the potential that the work here shows he had.

Hear Felix’s drum and bass mixes, soundtracks to his initial final year collection research here: https://soundcloud.com/user-165867412