Central Saint Martin's student Desiree Laidler is an eighteen year old designer with a truly innovative and creative eye.

Although it seems silhouettes and structures play a large role in her design focus, in her most recent project ‘Comfort’, we see her pay closer attention to the surface textiles that make up her pieces.

Laidler explains the true investment for her in this project was discovering a juxtaposition between comfort and discomfort by working with two materials that are each others visual and physical opposites– latex and foam.

"I embarked on an investigation into the term ‘comfort’ and the elements behind physical and psychological comfort zones. Through dissecting mattresses and looking into the materials that create restful surfaces within the home, foam became an important material for me. Medical braces became a point of interest as my project progressed; most particularly medical apparatus used to support the neck."

Her investigation into these comfort mediums also led her to create a new material for her project that combined foam and latex; "I aimed to diminish the large difference between the two materials, creating a hybrid fabric that is both extremely comfortable due to the foam and uncomfortable due to the latex. Recycled chip foam was also an important material in my collection as its sustainability contributed to my concept. I feel that sustainability is a form of discomfort in today’s modern society."

Thus it's evident that Laidler isn't content to just investigate and develop, but to give life to new materials in order to achieve the most wholesome creation of her project concept as she is able.

A truly wondrous ability.

http://desireelaidler.wix.com/portfolio

Words/ Jamie-Maree Shipton