PROJECT BRIEF
My collection for Autumn/winter 2017 collection called Sempiternus was originated from a Latin and French word which means endless. In my own term I figure out time can be endless, with the thought, I then took it into consideration of looking at the shape of a clock and its details which is the wheels. I was inspired by Lorna Simpson artistic work, whose work explores the experience of African America women in contemporary society. My collection is all about the endless time and its symbol. I therefore took step and view in my thought that time could be regarded as clock itself. Therefore my collection was influenced by the random shape of wheels, so I decided my collection will be over-sized in terms of silhouette. My collection titled Sempiternity was also inspired by modern architectural structures, and the belief that oversized doesn’t have to be shapeless, therefore I will combine classical techniques with moulded rubber reliefs to create dip-dyed pastel mashed pieces, decoratively edged with silicone that British Vogue described as “marshmallow chic”. Also, in my collection i will be working with luxurious fringes and the best Chinese manufacturing available. My collection will be wearable with an haute couture and also made with grey garments from neoprene, cotton and net fabric.
Lorna Simpson has hugely been a great impact on my work based on circle. She is a great lady whose work the experience of African America women in contemporary society. On the 22nd of January I visited Tate Modern being one of the museums that was chosen to go for research. On my visit I had no inspiration or ideas in mind on what I was going research on or work with, but looking on some artistic work in the museum I was not really excited about their displayed work because most of their work was particularly all on painting which I did not want to work with due to my research of last semester. After being to various sessions in the museum I then saw one of the artist works which drew my attention. I love the work due to energetic display of portrait pictures and how the artist make use of mental images by focusing on the back figure instead of the faces showing from the front. Lorna Simpson represent her work by large scale photograph and text work that challenge narrow, conventional or fashionable view of gender, culture, history and memory.
Looking at Lorna Simpson art work, all I thought about or reflected in my mind at that moment was time and how I could relate time with its shape which is circle. I could not stop my imagination of time as I kept looking at the portrait pictures. After taking several pictures of Lorna Simpson art work and some other artist work, I then went ahead in making more research on her work online which guide me and gave me more ideas on how I could start my sketchbook. Circle been a simple shape in Euclidean geometry and also what am looking at as my silhouette in my collection, it has really given me a great impact In my sketchbook and my research folder. I started using the shape to create my silhouette board and my mood board which lead to an alluring front page of my sketchbook.
To continue with my progression within the brief, I started gathering images gotten from online such as pinterest and various to be able to fix them together to create my moodboard. Circle been the shape I was focusing on, then I started collecting images on clock to be able to fuse it alongside with wheels. It was a difficult task because it took me alot to achieve a creative mind. I look at fashion designers who actually designed using circular shape which I could gathered lots such as XIAO li which happen to be the main designer. I was focusing on. After getting to the stage of getting the images needed then I try to link them up to create a nice and well presented mood board. I created alot of mood board which was not up to my only interest until I finally ended up with the one I like. My moodboard comprises of images of fashion image gotten from a designer called Anrealage which was his ready to wear collection for 2015 fashion show, a model wearing a grey ceramic fabric mixed with black, ceramic texture and a circular wooden shape.
According to the designers I have looked at so far and the shape I was looking at being inspired by the great Artist called Lorna Simpson. So I started sketching and looking at how I want my collection to look like. I started exploring on manipulation of architectural buildings in relation to the shape I chose. I looked at Ferdinand Cheval, Kostantin Melnikov and Ingrid Siliakus. Ingrid Siliakus was one out of the three artist’s work I looked at and I could relate my work with. Ingrid Siliakus is an artist which could be as well refers to as paper architect. Ingrid Siliakus has helped my work thus far, looking at his architectural work and its shape. After looking at Ingrid Siliakus work, I then did more research online and also, by taking a walk to Selfridges on my way home and saw the glass display of clock which is a great reference to my work in terms of looking at its shape.
Xiao li has been a great influence and also an impact to my work. I was inspired by Xiao li collection based on its plump pastel silicone garment moulded from knitwear, the marshmallow coloured range features an exaggerated silhouette with puffed up skirts and sleeves that swell from midway down the upper arm, the voluminous pieces of spacer fabric which combine two layers of textiles connected by filament (hair) and fluorescent colours. Xiao li also use her own knitting samples in this collection to create moulds to produce patterned silicone used in the entirety for the jacket, skirt and as hems or accessories for genuine knitted items, which I wanted to make sure my collection is innovative but still wearable.
After further research on xiao li, then I started having consideration on how will I show the influence of wheels on my work, rather than showing it by drawing and using other techniques in my sketchbook. It could be difficult getting to fuse two ideas together, wheels and merging or transforming it been circle but I still need to make use of the details on my work. Apparently the story line of my collection called sempiternus which means endless being an inspiration gotten form Lorna Simpson focusing on time. After several and different steps have taken into consideration in my work, then I started designing my first outfit after my toile been made focusing on the voluminous bulky hand of my top, my fabric used which is a grey neoprene worked perfectly well for the details I wanted then I added some little details such as putting bit of sequence in me, but my skirt due to choice of fabric which was a bit light but the best part of it was finishing which was so perfect.
Second outfit was very nice, elegant and beautifully fitted been the idea of urban wear relating to sport wear, In my second outfit I made good choice of fabric and the most amazing thing is that my fabric did not cost alot, very cheap and looks expensive. I will therefore explain in details on how I designed my second outfit which I got which my designed was influenced by my customer, designers and also various artist I was looking at. My second outfit was four garments in one outfit which entails the waist coat, top, skirt and trousers, though it was difficult to figure out which design to make which will be suitable for my customer. I started designing my top with grey goose fabric in neoprene which has a beautifully stitched lines on it, I used also a shark skin grey marshed fabric for top which am considering changing, then for my skirt I used a light shade of grey which is macy gray net fabric which was sew with elastic to make it a flowing gathered skirt and for my trousers it was a darker shade which was Liam Nelson Film grey. Here is the details of my second outfit starting from the silhouette, colour and making of the garment.
FABRIC RESEARCH
After researching the market price for my garment, I choose to investigate my fabrics in more depth so that I can reach the requirements of the high and designer industry. For example, the structure i consisdered by fusing different fabric together. This led to 100 percent cotton fabric, the net fabric in terms of the stifness of the skirt, wool fabric and neoprene for the voluminious shape on the body.
Style is my fashion is a blogger and fashion designer which have always had interested in her collection and her everyday activities. She is a fashion lover and that is how she can be defining as a person. From the colours she choose, the styles, the accessories, they all combine to give her an overall style that is unique to everyone. She enjoys experimenting with fashion, seeing what works and what does not, and working out why it does not work. Happiness is truly a state of mind and she often like to show it off without even saying a word by wearing colours under my sleeves. She love hanging out with her mum or girlfriends having conversations about what times leads to the topic of multiple partners. She loves travelling. I got my style and as well as design from one of her collection being what was my silhouette was all about, so I decided to make a skirt and an oversized trousers which actually fit well. It was not difficult in stitching and making the trousers and skirt but the only hard part of the garment was the finishing.
Having done my first outfit and second outfit which was hugely influenced by an Artist called Lorna Simpson and the designer called Xiao li. gradually step into another research by sketching out my drawings. Initial design include grey neoprene fabric, grey net fabric, grey wool and grey cotton which was a mixed colour palette as well as the complex structure. I went back to my initial idea of a set of colour palette with three basic colours. I try various techniques with each colour
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palette. It was a difficult aspect by drawing each outfit on illustrator by trying to creates a straight line on each drawing and making it look neat. After drawing each garment and giving it details, I started fusing in the colour on Photoshop by taking my time to use the selection tool to make the colour well inserted.
EVALUATION
After all the process taking, starting from the stage of visiting the museum and geeting inspired by the arist work and transforming it to your own ideas to get the concept of my collection. i have achieved alot through this process for being able to correct myself in some certain mistakes made like pattern cutting, stitching well, good finishing, time, drawing and time concious in particular. with all this i am very impressed with my work because it came out the way i want, good use of fabric and fastenings. my photoshot especially was an amazing one , love the location choose and the idea of my diversity project by fusing in together with the first project.
BIBLOGRAPHY Image and Research References Saatchi Gallery Tate Modern Instagram Selfridges Vogue (2016), Vogue street style {online}; Available at https://uk.pinterest.com/ pin/447193437970180894/ Vogue (2016), Vogue street style {online}; Available at https://uk.pinterest.com/ pin/516928863459708979/ Vogue (2016), Vogue street style {online}; Available at https://uk.pinterest.com/ pin/556194622704879665/ Vogue (2016), Vogue street style {online}; Available at https://uk.pinterest.com/ pin/52495151879415212/ Vogue (2016), Vogue street style {online}; Available at www.vogue.co.uk/brand/xiao-l Vogue (2016), Vogue street style {online}; Available at www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2013/.../royal-college-of-ar Vogue (2016), Vogue street style {online}; Available at www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2016/ready-to-wear/xiao-l Vogue (2016), Vogue street style {online}; Available at www.vogue.co.uk/ news/2014/1/20/fashion-scout-merit-award-winne
Lorna Simpson on Studio 94; www.salon94.com/artists/detail/lorna-simpson Lorna Simpson; http://lsimpsonstudio.com/ Hooks, Bell, Lorna Simpson: Waterbearer Art Forum (September 1993) p137 Simpson, Lorna in It’s interesting to be unsure: A Conversation with Lorna Simpson. ArtMag by Deutsche Bank http://db-artmag.com/en/72/feature/its-interesting-to-beunsure-a-conversation-with-lorna-simpson/ (accessed 10.04.14) Valdez, Sarah in Lorna Simpson: Echoes of the Unspoken, 2006, in Art in America, Brant Publications https://s3.amazonaws.com/files.digication.com/ M07dd09de90e31bda8416e411dcc4a65b (accessed 10.04.14) Lorna Simpson. Chess 2013 Courtesy the artist; Salon 94, New York; and Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/ Brussels © Lorna Simpson Page 3 Lorna Simpson, The Rock 1995. Installation image at BALTIC, Gateshead. Photo: Colin Davison. © 2014 BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art Page 4 Lorna Simpson.Waterbearer 1986. Courtesy the artist; Salon 94, New York; and Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/ Brussels © Lorna Simpson