From rags to riches: Stunning designs created from the devastation of Boxing Day floods

Carri Angel established the alternative, Halifax-based clothing company ‘Dark Angel Design Co’ in 1995, but the studio was devastated when floods struck in 2012.

An arduous 18-month battle with her insurance company followed, but eventually she was able to rebuild the studio, at Tenterfields Business Park, Luddendenfoot, and get the business back on track.

But on Boxing Day last year, the unthinkable happened and the studio was one again destroyed by the unprecedented downfalls which battered Calderdale.

Fabrics, stock and machinery were swept under six foot of muddy flood water and the insurance company refused to pay for a second flood. Like many others, Carri found herself in a hopeless situation.

Months were spent clearing the flooded studio, desperately trying to rescue as much as possible. Hundreds of metres of fabric, trimmings and stock were painstakingly washed to ensure there was no contamination and everything had to be cleaned at very high temperatures.

This left the majority of delicate materials and salvaged fabric unusable.

But undeterred, Carri was inspired to create a collection of costumes using materials salvaged from the flood, which now feature in these stunning photographs.

They were taken by Carri, who is also a photographer and is currently undertaking a Masters Degree in photography.

At the heart of the collection is an eco-friendly ethos. After the floods, it was hard to ignore talk of climate change and the effects of global warming.

And as one of the biggest polluters on the planet is the fashion industry, Carri wanted to do something positive and decided to switch the focus of her research masters to eco fashion.

Through the use of the photographs, she wants people to reconsider what is considered as waste and hopes her experience will inspire others to find a way to use recycled materials.