UNDERLYING TRUTH ESMERALDA LLACA GARCIA PROCESS ANALYSIS DOCUMENT CAPSULE COLLECTION (E19 CA/CB) YEAR 3 BA FASHION
Urban and luxury. These two words right off the bat, do not seem to have much in common. Much has been said about what the word urban actually means. Usually, every time a new term or concept comes up, it generates different opinions and when it comes to fashion the same thing applies. Fashion and urban became fused as a result of cultural diversity. Multiculturalism plays an import role in the way urban has been incorporated into fashion. Every country has its own culture, traditions and idiosyncrasy which makes a certain town or neighborhood come to live. Such is the case with cities like Paris, New York or London. In fact, as a matter of fact, London is ‘one of the world’s most multicultural cities’ according to The Times Newspaper. (Chynoweth, 2013, www.thetimes.co.uk)
Fig. 1 Balmain 2014-2015 fall/ winter campaign. (Mario Sorrenti. 2013)
Hence, urban luxury will be the two key parts ot this final project in which I will create a capsule collection for the high end market.
Project Concept This project is called: Urban Luxury, Mix, Stir, Unite. What an interesting an excited project indeed! As the name indicates, our challenge is to merge, combine, and unite luxury fabrics with a touch of urban wear. Therefore, a deep understanding of fabrics will be paramount in this project. I carried out a fabric research during my Christmas holidays in preparation for this subject and I made a book with all the fabrics I collected which will be very helpful when the time comes to decide which fabrics I will be using on my collection. As important as the fabric research is, an analysis of the current fashion market is also extremely important. Having an understanding of how the fashion marketing business works is absolutely necessary. Thus, I planned to visit appropriate stores to get an idea of how they estimate the value of their garments, how much money for instance, a pair of trousers might cost. My first idea was visiting Dover Street Market, always an inspiring place to go to, and see not just the brand’s collections but also have a closer look at their price point strategy. Then, as part as a class exercise, we went to Selfridges, to delve into the main range collections and the diffusion ones. That visit was very engaging and I had the opportunity to see the differences between one main label and its lower version. Now I have a clearer understanding of what a diffusion collection means. The concept of the project was clear in my mind so now, it was time to begin my research, and as I did in previous projects, I began this one by visiting museums and galleries in search of inspiration.
Fig 2 & 3. The Saatchi Gallery. (Art Observed. 2008) Tate Modern by Marcus Leith/Tate)
Tate Modern The very first place I went to begin my research, was the Tate Modern. I never get tired of visiting this inspiring gallery. The building itself is so unique and the perfect set up for such an important gallery of modern art. Every time I go there I experience the same feeling, as soon as I get in I cannot stop looking at every single detail. That day, I visited the gallery without having any preconceived notion of what I was looking for, I simply allowed myself to be swept away and enjoy the visiting. I took many pictures of the different rooms I saw. There were so many inspiring displays going on: The Texture and Photography for instance, or the Citizens and States wing which displays the works of different artists such as Salvador Dali or Pablo Picasso were very interesting. I also enjoyed visiting the Abstraction and Society exhibit from where I took the picture that will inspire my project, although at that time I did not know that as I will explain later on. The only problem, if one can refer to it as a problem, was to digest so much information and try to decide whether I was going to use some of the pictures I took as my inspiration or not. Before getting to any conclusion, I had to visit at least two more museums or galleries.
Fig. 4 & 5 Industrial Painting by Pinot Gallizio and Black Wall by Louise Nevelson
Those two pieces of art really told me something the minute I saw them. I was impressed by the texture, color and the intricate details both objects had. Although I liked them very much I was still not convinced they were the images I would use, I definitely had to keep looking in other places.
Saatchi Gallery Few days after visiting the Tate Modern I planned to go to the Saatchi gallery and see what it had to offers me. I must admit I am not a huge fan of contemporary art but I liked some of the exhibitions they had in there such as the selected works by Alice Anderson. This artist wraps all type of objects from a telephone to a 1967 Ford Mustang in copper wire. Her work pieces are unique and truly originals. Both the bobbin made of wood and copper thread and the sculpture made after performances, copper thread was really impressive. I did not know this artist before but I was really impressed by her work. This is one of the things I love about London, a city with plenty of culture to offer. There is always an exciting exhibition going on, it is impossible not to get inspired in such an artistic environment.
Fig. 6 Bound by Alice Anderson. (Author’s own, 2016)
Alice Anderson’s pieces were impressive as I mentioned above but the ones that really got my immediate attention were the sculptures by Julia Dault.
Fig. 7 Plexiglas, Tambour, Everlast boxing wrap, string by Julia Dault. (Author’s own)
Fig. 8 & 9 Plexiglas, Formica, boxing wraps, string by Julia Dault. (Author’s own January 2016)
These abstract sculptures are made in such a clever way. I love the fascinating folds and striking shapes they form. I wanted to use those pieces of work for my project but what was my surprise when I found out few of my classmates chose the same sculptures and as one of my teachers pointed out I would not like to end up having the same images than others on my sketchbook so I had to keep looking for inspiration somewhere else. One thing was clear to me though, I wanted to use geometric shapes on my project. I decided to go back to the Tate Modern because I knew there was at that time an exhibition about pop art called: The World Goes Pop to see if I could get what I was looking for. The exhibition was very interesting. The artists made used of pop art to address sensitive subjects and issues such as the role of women, sexual liberation or civil rights. I took many notes and some photographs and decided to go back home and have a look at all of them and see if I could choose any of those pictures as inspiration for my project. One of the pictures I took was a painting by Spanish artist Isabel Oliver called, La Familia. As the use of geometry was already in my head I thought I could use this work as my starting point.
Fig. 10 La Familia by Isabel Oliver. (Author’s own January 2016)
I was sure I have found the image I was looking for but I was wrong. I spent a whole weekend trying to work out how to use this concept on my sketchbook but something was telling me I should not going any further with this image. I have to admit I began to be a bit worry as I had the the feeling I was wasting my time. I decided to look again at the photographs I took from the Tate Modern the first time I went and then I realized I had one image that ticked all the boxes.
The Inspiration
Fig. 11 Counter-Composition VI by Theo Van Doesburg. (Author’s own January 2016)
Theo Van Doesburg was a Dutch painter, architect, designer and writer, a very prolific artist indeed. Van Doesburg along with Piet Mondrian belonged to an art movement called neo-plasticism in which only squares, rectangles, horizontal and vertical lines were used. “We speak of concrete and not abstract painting because nothing is more concrete, more real than a line, a colour, a surface”- 1 Theo Van Doesburg. This quote by Theo Van Doesburg encapsulates the concept of this project. Every shape is nothing but the result of the struggle of opposite forces in space, the tension between multiple points. Therefore, this project is a research on the underlying truth of design, which also gave me the idea for my collection’s name: Underlying Truth.
“We speak of concrete and not abstract painting because nothing is more concrete, more real than a line, a colour, a surface.� -Theo Van Doesburg1
1 Theo Van Doesburg, De Stijl Movement, Artists and Major Works. The Art Story
Grey Area There are just three colour options in this project, white, black and grey. When we were told we had to choose one of those colours, my first impulse was choosing black as it is definitely my favorite one. But one of my teachers told me something that made me reconsider my decision. I should push myself beyond my comfort zone by not choosing the one I was more comfortable with. I then decided grey would be the one.
Fig.12 Colour board (Author’s own February 2016)
“If I see everything in gray, and in gray all the colors which I experience and which I would like to reproduce, then why should I use any other color? I’ve tried doing so, for it was never my intention to paint only with gray. But in the course of my work I have eliminated one color after another, and what has remained is gray, gray, gray!” -Alberto Giacometti2
2 Alberto Giacometti, Quotes About Colour By Alberto Giacometti, Senational Color.
Silhouette
Fig. 13 Silhouette board. (Author’s own February 2016)
“For a long time I was looking for my perfect equilibrium, my mojo. And now I think I’m getting there: I’ve found my customer, my silhouette, my cut.” -Alexander McQueen3
3 Alexander McQueen, Lee Alexander McQueen Quotes. QuotesGram.
EXPERIMENTATION My idea is to create geometric shapes by quilting. I had that idea when I came across a Yohji Yamamoto’s quilted coat.
Fig. 14 Yohji Yamamoto FW09. (Pinterest)
The shapes and silhouettes I can get using this technique are endless. I started making samples with calico and wadding and I was pleased with the samples I got so far.
Fig. 15 & 16 Sampling with calico and wadding.
Fig. 17 & 18 Experimenting with calico and wadding
Now it was time to start sampling with real fabrics and see how quilting would look like using different textures and weights. I went to Shepherd’s Bush and bought half a meter of a few fabrics, suede was one of them. Sewing with this material was very easy, I really like the feel of it and the texture I got after quilting a small piece. I also decided to add some silver pearls to give the sample a sense of urban aesthetic.
Fig. 19 & 20 Quilted sample with suede and synthetic fabrics
Toile Process
We are moving very fast this final semester; there is no time to waste. Next step after sampling was starting making the toile for the first outfit which will consist in three garments, a fitted cropped top, a voluminous quilted skirt and a sheer oversized sweatshirt. Quilting the skirt took much for me, specially to make sure all the squares were the same size and the one on the front match the one at the back. But after finishing all three I was quite pleased with the outcome.
Outfit 1
Fig. 21 & 22 Toile outfit 1
Outfit 2
For outfit 2, I first thought of making two pieces consisted in a pair of trousers with a rounded silhouette and a quilted sweatshirt. But after talking to one of my teachers I decided to make an adjustment to the trousers’s pattern. Rather than a rounded silhouette I will be making a more dramatic one. The result was more in line with the first outfit. The quilted geometric shapes of the sweatshirt are different than the ones from the skirt. For this, I wanted to show a more elaborated pattern. It took me time to do it but I believe it was worth to try.
Fig. 23 Toile outfit 2
Toile 3
And for the last outfit of my final collection, I will be making three pieces: a bomber jacket, a pair of culottes and a top. This last outfit belongs to my diffusion line so it will be targeted for a younger customer. For this outfit, I took inspiration from some iconic sportswear pieces such as the bomber jacket. Neoprene and spacer mesh fabrics are the perfect combination to this urban sporty outfit.
Fig. 24 Toile outfit 3
FINAL FABRICS
Since the beginning, the focus of this project has been to combine luxury fabrics with a touch of urban wear. A thorough research into that concept enabled me to choose the right fabrics for this final collection. Designers / brands such as Alexander Wang, Stella McCartney or DKNY inspired me when the time comes to select the appropriate fabrics. My final collection is a mixture of different textures and fibers. To achieve the luxury touch, I chose the delicacy of silk organza and softness of the stone washed fabric. For the urban look, I decided to use neoprene, I love this material not just for its resiliency and elasticity but also for the coolness this fabric gives to a garment. Another key material to me is the spacer mesh fabric. I used it to make the iconic urban piece of this collection: the bomber jacket.
Silk Organza
Mesh
Neoprene
Knit
DEALING WITH ISSUES
Any project worth its salt has to have its own issues and this final one could not be any other way. The main problem I faced was making the bomber jacket. My first idea for this piece was a suede quilted jacket. Funnily enough, I made a sample using a suede fabric I bought to test quilting and I enjoyed working with it. It was an easy material and the softness of this material gave the the sample the outcome I was trying to achieve. So when the time comes to make the final garment I was very disappointed to notice how cheap the jacket felt to me. Not just that, even the shape of the bomber jacket itself looked awful. I had my first breakdown, after all the effort I put into this garment I could not believe the result I had. But there was not time to waste, I then had to use a plan B (although I did not plan any in advance) which in this case was using a pattern I did for a previous project and buy another fabric. That is how I ended up using spacer mesh fabric which in the end was the one gave the garment the urban feel I was looking for. And as far as the jacket shape is concerned, the voluminous silhouette of this jacket is absolutely perfect! To me that was the biggest issue I had to deal with, others were just minor ones such as having to unpick few times a zip or making a third garment in the last minute.
Bibliography & References
Quotes
1Theo Van Doesburg, De Stijl Movement, Artists and Major Works, The Art Story http://www.theartstory.org/movement-de-stijl.htm
Alberto Giacometti, Quotes About Colour By Alberto Giacometti, Sensational Color. http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-resources/quotes-about-color/alberto-giacometti-6416#.VwyeR2M-e3/ 3Alexander McQueen, Lee Alexander McQueen Quotes. QuotesGram. http://www.quotesgram.com/lee-alexander-mcqueen-quotes/#M9Tx4mvQ1N
Illustrations Fig. 1 Balmain’s fall campaign. Sorrenti, Mario. (2014) Olivier Rousteing Makes a Statement With Balmain Campaign. Paul Jowdy
Fig. 2 The Saatchi Gallery. Art Observed. [Online] (Accessed date 16/02/2016) http://artobserved.com/2008/09/saatchi-gallery-reopens-with-asian-art-exhibit-on-oocto ber-9th-2008/
Fig. 3 Tate Modern. Tateorg [Online] (Accessed date 16/02/2016) http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern/turbine-hall
Fig. 4 & 5 Industrial painting by Pinot Gallizio and Black Wall by Louise Nevelson. Author’s own photograph. January 2016
Fig. 6 Bound by Alice Anderson. Author’s own photograph. January 2016
Fig. 7 Plexiglas, Tambour, Everlast boxing wraps, string by Julia Dault. Author’s own photograph. January 2016
Fig. 8 & 9 Plexiglas, Formica, boxing wraps, string by Julia Dault. Author’s own photograph. January 2016
Fig. 10 La Familia by Isabel Oliver. Author’s own photograph. January 2016 Fig. 11 Counter-Composition VI by Theo Van Doesburg. Author’s own photograph. January 2016 Fig. 12 Colour board. Author’s own potograph. February 2016
Fig. 13 Silhouette Board. Author’s own potograph. February 2016
Fig. 14 Yohji Yamamoto FW09. s-media-cache-ak0 [Online] (Accessed date 26/01/ 2016) http://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/91/a8/73/91a873e4bc06e5894fec3a9cdf3e.jpg Fig. 15 & 16 Sampling with calico and wadding. Author’s own potograph. January 2016
Fig. 17 & 18 Experimenting with calico and wadding. Author’s own potograph. January 2016 Fig. 19 & 20 Quilted samples with suede fabric. Author’s own potograph. January 2016
Fig. 21 & 22 Toile outfit 1. Author’s own potograph. March 2016 Fig. 23 Toile outfit 2. Author’s own potograph. March 2016
Fig. 24 Toile outfit 3. Author’s own potograph
Electronic sources Chynoweth, Carly. (2013) Getting to know multicultural London. [Online] UK. The Times. Available at http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/postcard/article3757989.ece (Accessed date 30/01/2016