18th January 2021

I’ve started to gather examples of customised/transformable garments to help inspire my work. Rather than on focusing on weaving, bows and drawstrings, I looked at a wide variety of garments. The designers which came up again and again were Issey Miyake and Hussein Chalayan. Miyake creates transformable garments using pleating and origami techniques, whereas Chalayan uses technology. From this research I came across the Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology book (MAA Exhibition), I got lots of ideas from this but it also sparked ideas for my portfolio. The use of different papers such as metallic, black, holed and semi-transparent gave the book a luxurious feel which mirrored the mechanical exhibition. There was also a little book at the end with interviews from the designers, which made me think I could create a mini look book with a similar format.

Issey Miyake, 1994. Hussein Chalayan, 2007

Carrying on from this I started to do more research for promoting my work, gathering images of website layouts, I already have a website, but it needs to be improved to a more professional level. The shrimp's website stood out to me because it was a bit different. For example, the pointer was a shrimp or shell rather than an arrow, some of the backgrounds where sketches and some of the images moved. It has a vintage, scrapbook feel but is still fresh and modern, reflecting the brand. Continuing this week, I will gather examples of portfolio layouts as this is an area I struggle with so important to spend time on.

Following on from my tutorial my tutor suggested creating a mood board of designers, styles, silhouettes etc. that I like and see what the commonalities of the images are. This has helped me get a greater sense of my design style. Some of the words which describe the garments are;

• Elegant, feminine, romantic, quirky

• Vintage, Victorian, renaissance, 1920s

• Layering

• Transparent fabrics

• Bows and ruffles

• Lace, Tulle, wool, cotton, silk

• Floral, Check, houndstooth

• Clashing prints, colours and fabrics

• Long dresses/skirts, Shorts, tailored jackets

• Bright colours, black and white

Some of the brands I like are Dior, Simone Rocha, Cecilie Bahnsen, Erdem and Fendi.

These words describe my Ba final collection which wasn’t intentional but makes me feel more confident that these are things which align with my style. I will continue to gather images that I like and use these to help when designing, the brands listed above would also be great to look at for promotional inspiration and market sector/customer profile.

Colour in stage and costume design by Julane Sullivan was a webinar I attended this week, explaining how costume helps tell a story by creating an experience and feeling. Costume helps the audience understand relationships, ages and status. Costume designers must work with the set designers and lighting team to ensure they create the desired image, and the clothes stand out. The connection with colour was interesting as they have symbolism or portray an era. She spoke about how fantasy shows often use bright, floral, sparkly costumes which could be something I take into my own work as I'm thinking about a fantasy feel for my FMP.

I also watched the Prada FW21 menwear show and interview with Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons. I really like the juxtaposition of hard and soft fabrics, colours and the playfulness of the show with fluffy rooms and spontaneous dancing. This is the type of feeling I would like my work to have. The current pandemic has seen a rise in ore reserved clothing, but I don’t believe this is what everyone wants (like myself). In the interview they spoke about how fashion is an expression of personality, power, sexuality, rebellion, what you want to show and what you want to hide. This show portrayed how right now we want clothes that are comfortable, protecting and beautiful. Another thing Raf Simmons spoke about was how he doesn’t design for a specific audience as everyone's aesthetic is different. He designs for anyone who feels a connection to the clothes and enjoys how people wear them in completely different ways than he would. I would like to carry this idea in my own work, particularly for my development of customisable garments, encouraging customers to wear clothes they like in a way they want rather than following a trend set by designers.