I can look back to my early teens to trace the beginning of my interest in fashion. It grew into a real passion which took me to a DEC Degree in Fashion Design from Marie-Victorin College in Montreal, Canada, followed by a BA (Hons) degree in fashion from University of Salford which I completed with a 1st. After completing my BA degree in 2007, I joined a start up label called Riotgear based in Manchester. I got the chance to be involved in a project designing the women surfwear range for this emerging fashion label over 2 seasons which provided me with great experience within the industry. Following that, I then moved to London to seek other opportunities which took me to work with two leading London labels, Issa & Emilio de la Morena. Working for these high end labels during the past two years has given me the chance to work closely with creative and production teams and gain some valuable insights. Yours truly, Marilyn Bastien B.
I have specialised knowledge of industry design and production programmes such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. This enabled me to take full responsibility in the process of developing seven collections with Issa and two with Emilio de la Morena into technical drawings to facilitate the communications between each department and suppliers. I was also responsible for ensuring manufactures were instructed correctly, fabrics were sourced, fittings and production samples were completed on time and within budget. I liaised with several sales agents around the world to ensure orders were taken and fulfilled on time. I was also involved in keeping the online sale system updated and assisted our agents with pricing. Further to my core duties I was also responsible for designing and coordinating various promotional items for events such as London Fashion Week. Examples of these were the creation of invitations, back stage passes, promotional posters etc all of which I designed in with the creative team, sales team and stylists. Following my experiences in the industry I am now looking to put my personal projects into shape and by that grow as a professional designer. I have always been passionate about textiles and prints and would like to materialise my original ideas and ongoing research. I want to combine my experience in the industry and where I believe there are gaps or needs with what is now possible to achieve with new fibres and new technologies. I want to find new uses for materials and to see how technology and textiles can synergise to bring new application in fashion, production and our constantly changing lifestyles.
As fashion has always been influenced by cultural, musical, artistic and lifestyle movement I believe our era, which is punctuated by several technological breakthroughs, will play a key role on the evolution of materials. I would like to concentrate my study project on the incorporation of technology into new materials bringing new advantages, making some textiles more preferment, recyclable and truly transformational opportunities that may even allow us to watch TV on mum’s favourite dress one day! Designers such as Hussein Chalayan, Nicolas Ghesquière and the Japanese designers such as Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Junya Watanabe are also sources of inspiration and role models to me. They have not only re-invented the use of fabrics and silhouette season after season but also have a strong identity which come from their life path, their roots and cultural background which I admire them for. Being born and raised in such a new country as Canada, I am constantly looking for my own identity and would like to incorporate that personal quest into my research and beyond. For me, one thing that describes well where I am from is the space and the nature that is still beating strong. I would like to contribute in keeping this great asset that way through my vision of textiles, the future of fashion and our way of consuming it. The MA in textile at Chelsea College of Art & Design is a highly acclaimed course and the description of the content that is covered will provide me with a great opportunity to bring all my ideas to life. With the knowledge, skills and experience I have gained through my previous courses and my time in the industry I believe this course at Chelsea College of Art & Design will enable me to explore the insights I have gained in further detail. It will allow me to better understand the future of textiles, the close links to nature and new emerging technologies and why it’s important to discover new ways and new materials that fit with our ever changing cultural attitudes, needs and demands. For these reasons I would relish the opportunity to undertake the MA in Textile Design.
P erle
rare
After sweet holidays in south of Spain I became obsessed with seashells. Two aspects particularly interested me in them, their shapes and their protective key role. These little treasures we find at the bottom of the ocean offer an impressive range of colours, forms and textures. Their growing method is captivating; by layering calcium coming from the sand and proteins secreted by the mollusc who, by nature, build them as their home. These living species have a very fragile structure and need the protection from the shells like a second skin. I therefore decided to combine layering with challenging dimensions to create unusual forms and voluminous dresses when worn.
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Intense paper cutting
Tremendous kitchen sink dying
London Evening Standard, 31 May 2007
London graduation week, June 2007
Catapult exhibition, Urbis Manchester, Novembre 2007
buterfly
reflect
Butterflies are one of nature beautiful asset. There is something mysterious about this insect with its perfectly symmetrical wings and its unique metamorphosis process. In mythology the butterfly represents the soul & freedom. The adult stage of a butterfly is called imago which mean in Latin “image�, referring to the appearance. With these elements in hands I decided to investigate on how our image plays a crucial role in expressing our identity. Who makes us who we are, how are roots influence us, when our visions change?
Potential artwork for prints
Potential fabric manipulations
The idea behind this creation was to keep pleats not completely fixed to preserve certain freedom when worn. The fabric use needed to be thick enough to hold the shapes, to have the right feel to pleat but most of all the comfort effect to make women feel like they wrap themselves into a cocoon. Felted wool felt like the right choice for these reasons but also for it’s none fraying edges which allow even more pleats options and finishing. I wanted to design something that would look chic and professional without compromising the identity of the women who will dare it!
Issa Spring/Summer 10 fashion show had tropical climate as its source of inspiration. From there, crawling insects came as an idea for prints, invitation, promotional items and for gift in shape of a handkerchief. But we didn’t only used them as is, we got them moving by creating “lenticular” that gives a movement effect when looked at from different angles. Issa has been my “springboard” to luxury fashion for the pass 2 years of my career and gave me an incredible experience. It has contributed so much in my learning of how to create a collection, to plan fittings and organise samples, to produce the goods and correspond with manufactures. It gave me the chance to bridge creativity with more technical sides of the process of putting together a collection.
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FASHION DESIGNER
Marilyn Bastien M. +44 (0) 7756179715 E. marilynbastien@hotmail.com Flat 6 Thane Mansions, Thane Villas, London, N7 7PE UK I am passionate about cultural rituals and beliefs, world traditional costumes, myths and legends, the secret behind natural perfection, trends down the streets and old jean jacket that we still love after 20years of wearing them off. I get inspiration from
everything around me and transpose it into unique collections. I am always after challenging projects, new experiences, sharing ideas within a team and investing myself into the work from pattern cutting to computer drawing.
Qualifications
Employements
BA(Hons) Fashion at the University of Salford with a First as final mark. (England)
Production manager, Emilio de la Morena 20102011
June 2007
DEC Diploma in Fashion Design at Marie-Victorin College (Canada) June 2005
Highlights Participating designer at the “Mode-Trotter” exhibition showcasing several personal creations June -September 2010
Initiator of “cejenesaisquoi.wordpress.com” , a fashion blog covering street fashion in the world May 2010
Participating as a fashion designer on the TV show LaCollection and making it to the semi-final (The equivalence of Project Runway on FrenchCanadian TV) February - March 2009
Creations from my final collection exposed at the Urbis as part of the Catapult Exhibition November 2007 - March 2008
Participation at the London Graduation Week, Battersea Park June 2007
Featured in London Evening Standard 31st May 2007
Received a Grant of Excellence from the Montreal City, 3rd year of fashion June 2005
Participation at the closing fashion show of Festival Mode et Design Montreal 12th June 2005
Collection/product co-ordinator, Issa London 2009-2011
Freelance work including pattern cutting, sampling and production supervision; Style Wave Ltd 2008
Designer of Womenswear at RiotGear England, Manchester (surfwear) 2007-2008
Sourcing and Researching at Bread & Butter Barcelona, Premiere Vision Paris, Pure, Margin, TBC 2008
Yen Jeans menswear designer assistant at Michiko Koshino design office, Queen's Park London 2006
Competencies Bilingual (French & English) Highly skilled in Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator Highly skilled in pattern cutting & sewing Knowledge of Lectra Modaris (pattern cutting program)
References Issa London Ana Pataquiho unit 11-12 90 Lots Road London SW10 0QD T: 0207352 4241 ana@issalondon.com
TwentyTen Agency Marinos Iatrakis 380 Old Street London EC1V 9LT T: 08006122514 marinos@twentyten agency.com
Hobbies Snowboarding Capoeira
Tennis/Badminton Piano
To whom it may concern, I would like to offer my entire support to Marilyn application to an MA in textile. Marilyn has worked as a Production Assistant at Issa for 2 years. In this role she coordinates the development of drawings into CAD designs and produces technical and production sheets. She also manages sales through our online system, contributes to design marketing materials such as our show’s invitations and produced the twice a year sales book. Marilyn is a real asset to Issa. Her dedication to the role and company is outstanding and her enthusiasm is compelling. She has a real understanding of how to develop a concept into the final design and clearly understands the technical design process. Marilyn consistently ensures the delivery of product often under tight time constraints and manages pressure well. Marilyn also shows great creativity and design talent and has supported the design of textiles and also promotional materials for Issa. She is a dedicated, passionate, and professional member of the creative team at Issa London. As the Creative Director and founder of Issa, I support Marilyn’s application to the MA in textile at Chelsea College of art & design. I believe she will greatly benefit from the course and will prove to be a truly committed student. The MA will provide Marilyn with the creative and academic environment to develop her own unique style and grow as an independent designer. Kind regards
Daniella Helayel Creative director Issa Couture ltd 90 Lots road Unit 11&12 London SW10 0QD
Email: daniella@issalondon.com Tel: +44 (0) 2073524241 Fax: +44 (0) 2073524224
To whom it may concern I am writing to confirm that Marilyn Bastien Barrette was employed by Issa London from the 23rd July 2009 to date. She initially started as a general assistant for production and design but, proved so efficient that she was promoted to the graphic and technical department shortly after her arrival to work with the head of production. Throughout her employment, Marilyn proved, time and time again, the skills that made her presence in ISSA a real pleasure for all her colleagues. Among other qualities I can cite a few: excellent communication skills, great organisational and managing skills, impeccable professional appearance, adaptability, resourcefulness and above all an excellent timing to finish the tasks she is responsible for. She has a lot of integrity and is a very trustworthy person. I would personally recommend Marilyn to any company as she definitely proved to be an asset for Issa. In the optic of an educational environment, I believe Marilyn would carry on impressing her surrounding with her skills and would get the chance to improve even more by bringing her own ideas into work. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or wish to discuss any of the above in more detail. Sincerely
Ana Pataquinho Production manager Issa Couture ltd 90 Lots road Unit 11&12 London SW10 0QD
Email: ana@issalondon.com Tel:
+44 (0) 2073524241
Fax: +44 (0) 2073524224 Mob: +44 (0) 7950456635
18A Kensington Church St. London W8 4EP
Marilyn has worked with the team at Emilio de la Morena since November 1st 2010. During this time she acted as production and design assistant. Her main duties included: Producing colour stories for the Autumn/Winter 2010/2011 Assisting the head designer in the development of designs ideas and carried out the research used in the development of the collection Liaising with the press office with special editorial projects Carrying out research of fabrics and finishes used in the collections Drawing all the design ideas for the studio and marketing material using programs such as Photoshop & Illustrator Co-coordinating pattern cutters, sample machinists and tailors, fitting garments and organizing patterns for production. Marilyn has more than demonstrated that she is a highly motivated team player with the ability to exceed her main responsibilities and assist in other areas. She is an incredibly committed individual who became an essential part of our team. She is extremely professional and efficient at managing the responsibilities she is given. She has a keen eye for detail and has supervised the production of samples and main production on numerous occasions to ensure the highest quality control to equal the level of luxury product that Emilio de la Morena offers. I believe Marilyn has gained a great knowledge of how the management of designer luxury labels are achieved and has reached a stage where she has her own ideas that she would like to develop to bring her expertise to the industry. An MA would definitely be a good way for her to bring all her potential to climax. I have no reservations in giving Marilyn my full recommendation and wish her the best of luck for the future. Should you need to contact me please do so at the numbers below. Kind regards
Emilio de la Morena Head designe t. +44 (0) 2073760561 f. +44 (0) 2071837561 e. emilio@emiliodelamorena.com