Francesca Recchia
Fashion BA Hons
Northumbria University
Specialisms: Textiles - Print / Womenswear /
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Francesca Recchia
First Name: Francesca
Last Name: Recchia
Specialisms: Textiles - Print / Womenswear
Sectors:
My Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
University / College: Northumbria University
Course / Program Title: Fashion BA Hons
About
I am a womenswear print designer who loves creating bold, feminine, and empowering clothing.
I aim to portray confidence in my designs through expressive prints and elevated silhouettes.
I’m drawn to designs that evoke emotion and make you feel powerful. Specialising in print, I see
pattern in everything from textures in nature to rhythm in music. I find inspiration in anything
around me. This intuitive way of seeing the world fuels my abstract, often experimental,
approach to design. I love exploring with scale, repeats, and placement, seeing how my prints
can transform when brought onto the body.
My key skill strengths are screen printing, sublimation printing and experimental design development, often pushing the boundaries of traditional methods to find new outcomes. My design process is playful and curious- I love to experiment with different print methods in the dye room as well as finding other things to use at home such as flowers and tea. I am to be as sustainable as possible in my design processes. Ultimately, I design for individuals who want to feel powerful in what they wear.
My Final Collection “Imprints” is an AW27 collection exploring how time, memory and routine leave visible and emotional marks on the body. Focusing on the 9–5 working day, the collection reframes everyday signs of wear creased uniforms, strained hands and worn surfaces as quiet records of resilience and lived experience. Surface prints reference physical traces of repetitive labour, while utilitarian uniform details are reimagined through a contemporary lens. Silhouettes gradually loosen throughout the collection, reflecting the rhythm of a working day from sunrise to night. Through layered prints, trompe-l’œil techniques and a palette shifting with the time of day, “Imprints” commemorates labour not only as toil, but as a meaningful structure that brings purpose and builds relationships. Project 2: My SS27 collection, Hand Me Downs, explores sisterhood through the perspective of the younger sister, examining how identity is shaped through inherited clothing. Centred around the ritual of receiving hand-me-down garments, the collection reflects on the emotional experience of wearing clothes once owned by an older sibling; garments that carry memory. The looks reflect emotions tied to hand-me-down dressing, including embarrassment, resentment and excitement, highlighting the complexity of sibling relationships. Oversized silhouettes and alterations such as rolled sleeves, tied knots and stuffed bra cups mirror the experience of growing into someone else’s clothes both physically and emotionally, referencing the awkwardness of adolescence and self-construction Prints combine childlike drawing styles inspired by a childhood blanket shared between me and my sister with more detailed adult interpretations of motifs including flowers, gingham and bees. Contrasting scales and simplified forms reflect how perception changes over time, symbolising the shifting relationship between younger and older siblings as they grow up. Balancing playful nostalgia with a mature sensibility, Hand Me Downs positions sisterhood as a formative force shaping both identity and individuality.
Competitions
