9th November 2020

Design

After chatting with my tutor I've decided to go back to the original shape I created which is a fitted cropped length, as the slightly oversized shape doesn’t fit well on the body. This means I'm having to make a fourth toile which is frustrating as I would like to have been at a further stage by now. I feel a lot further behind on this project compared to the previous one, even though I've spent a lot more time on it. But I need to learn from the mistakes and keep moving forward. If I make alterations to the pattern and remake the toile this week, then focus on new seam/dart placements next week hopefully I will get more on track. I haven't been writing down tasks in my planner recently which may also be why I feel less organised.

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Research

During the tutorial this week about my project proposal idea, we discussed how I need to be more specific as there are too many ideas. To do this I need to identify the different strands it could take. Setting myself the challenge for the project proposal. For example, by selecting a particular heritage craft/garment like a kilt and then choosing the wardrobe basic that the final garment will be such as a trench coat. This way the combination of British heritage, origami and wardrobe basics will be more harmonious. Therefore, I need to do further research to identify what I want to focus on. Another area of research is into sustainable fashion books such as sustainable fashion and textiles by Kate Fletcher as well as a Practical guide to sustainable fashion. Slow fashion by Hazel Clark would be another interesting topic to look into to. Last week I wrote about asking a variety of women to take photos of their most worn/favourite garments a research. To explore this idea further I would like to compare the difference between actual people's basics and basics suggested by social media. I find how Instagram, YouTube, blogs etc. is changing fashion extremely interesting and would like to include it in some way. Other topics I would like to look into are luxury and people connection to clothes.

Today I watched the ‘’Designing beyond the physical’’ lecture which was interesting as I had taken part in the seminar activity a few days before. It was about creating emotional and experiential design, so fashion is not just about the way it looks/usability but also about how it makes the wearer feel for example. This quote sums it up ‘’There is potential in products to generate psychological happiness as well as stimulating physiological wellbeing’’ (Demibilek and Sener, 2003). Lisa Shawgi gave her own example of designing clothes for people with Reynard's syndrome which was fascinating as I suffer from this condition. I would love a pair of the knitted socks with the seam moved back from the toes, as my toes are super sensitive, swollen and tender especially in the winter with chill blains. The socks meet the ‘Emotional System’ - 3 ways design makes you happy by Don Norman. 

Positive design is another topic she covered which means designing for sustainability, equality, diversity, craftmanship, and community. I would like to research more about this and the term ‘post fashion’ to incorporate into my project proposal. Actually, after learning about positive fashion I started to question whether this should be the main area of interest for my project. I've always been interested in health and wellbeing, so developing garments which help or enhance in some way would be great. The diagram below would be a great place to start if I decide to do this.