Val Garland

Val Garland is one of my biggest inspirations in the makeup industry. I adore her work and I think her style is so unique and daring. I love that she completely pushes the boundaries with her looks and that she's not afraid to experiment with very avant-garde concepts.

image from Val Garland's MAC Masterclass 2013

Her roots lie in the alternative subcultures of 70's-80's Britain and I can really relate to this. It's clear to see that a lot of her inspiration comes from style tribes such as the Punks, Goths, Skinheads and the New Romantics, and I think it's so important to keep these revolutionary trends alive whilst modernizing them just as Val Garland does. Her work shows that it's okay to be spontaneous and it's okay to take a risk with your work, because a lot of the time it pays off and you end up creating something very innovative and exciting.

Val Garland for i-D Pre-Spring 2014

The following video is some backstage footage of Vivienne Westwood's SS12 show where you can see Val Garlands work and a short interview with her. I thought the two looks for this show were incredibly beautiful and I loved the different colour palettes. Val Garland describes the first look as a "demented 18th century baroque girl," and I can see exactly where she's coming from. I think the purple tones worked so well with the warmer colours such as yellow, orange, red and gold. The contrast was gorgeous and this particular colour scheme gave off a very regal vibe. The second look was described as a "stark warrior mask," and the main colour was blue. This look was very tribal and the use of prominent patterns around the face, especially around the brow area, gave the models an air of strength and power almost reminiscent of an Amazonian woman:

I think Val Garland always brings something completely different to the runway, her work is so easily identifiable because it's just totally unique. I truly admire the way in which she works: she's utterly fearless and I really hope I can achieve that liberated mindset one day.