International Design Awards
Awarded Silver in Pret-a-Porter Women's and Bronze in Avant-Garde Fashion by the International Design Awards for my senior thesis collection titled "Letters to the Grave"
I-D Magazine
With his graduate collection, designer Alberto Perkinson presented the crowd at SCAD’s fashion showcase with an epic of Dante-esque proportions in four looks. Its winding narrative follows a woman’s journey through the turbulent waters of a love lost, as she grapples with regret, immerses herself in the depths of delusion, writes unsent love letters and, finally, breaks free. “The transformative act of repurposing garments and engaging in fabric manipulations becomes a tangible representation of her emotional journey,” Alberto says. “Symbolising her resilience and the cathartic release of her pent-up emotions.”
Indeed, the collection’s theatrical garments spiral with Alberto’s protagonist. A gorgeous, floor length gown is crafted entirely from 40 thrifted men’s ties, which snake themselves around the body. Elsewhere, men’s tailcoats meet bridal tulle and corsetry in a look that speaks to visions of what could have been. The narrative culminates in the collection’s spectacular finale look, a white gown created from torn-and-mended pieces of men’s shirting, its train decorated in Alberto’s personal collection of vintage love letters. “To preserve the delicate paper letters, I used contact cement to attach them to a cotton sateen shirt,” he explains, adding. “Sewing would have torn them apart.”
-Words by Zoë Kendall