Hannah Hatchard - Fashion design

FREEBODIES - Hannah Hatchard

Instagram: @hannahhatchard_design
Website: hannahhatchard.com
LinkedIn: Hannah Hatchard

About the Collection

Modern activewear is synonymous with synthetics, but I ask: is there an alternative? Is there a way to create adaptable, flexible garments that don't contribute to plastic pollution?

My graduate collection, FREEBODIES, explores this question through rigorous textile and form experimentation, creating bio-based pieces that can adapt and respond to different bodies and ways of moving and wearing.

Through an adaptable, modular design approach, the garments encourage creative interaction between clothing and wearer, bringing a sense of play through their endless potential.

Design & Materials

Buttons and loops form a system of transformation, allowing detachable modules to hang, wrap, weave, and drape around the body. Reversible, 100% naturally dyed colourways offer opportunities for mood change, while laser cutting creates flexibility and further connections between garments, blurring the line between where one piece ends and another begins.

Cottons, silks, and hand-felted wool unite in an eclectic collage that celebrates the diversity of natural fibres. Each garment is enriched through tactile embroidery, natural screen printing, and upcycled appliqué, bringing together artisanal craft and activewear in an experimental and radical way.

Inspiration

Henri Matisse's explorations of movement and the human form through painting and collage deeply influenced my approach to textiles. This interest led me to create a modular composition that functions simultaneously as a garment and as a piece of artwork in the traditional sense.

By blending fashion and art, FREEBODIES challenges the conventions of activewear—an industry often centred on streamlined functionality—and instead embraces the natural world, rich craft traditions, and the intimate relationship between body and clothing.