Hello! I am Ishita Kulkarni a MA Costume Design student, London College of Fashion. I have a strong background of Clothing and Textiles. I enjoy doing process based work, conceptualisation, print making, pattern making and manipulation. My inclination towards costume design developed through love for theatre, dance and film along with a strong urge to tell stories through garments. I also nurture interests in arts and crafts, photography, clothing history, wildlife and travel.
Costume for Film The visit by Friedrich Durrenmatt In this project I have mapped the metamorphosis of the lead character Claire from being a young innocent girl to a revenge seeking bitter old woman. I further strived to express the emotional journey of the character through physical changes. I attempted to establish a connection between the emotions of the character and its physical repercussions on her body. For instance growth of mushrooms on the body surface depicting her obsession for revenge. Shielding of self from outer world harms by creating a cage around one self. Skills incorporated: Worked with Fibreglass Draping techniques Bead work Dyeing
Drafting and manipulation Fortuny pleating Photography
sewing
MA Costume Design Second unit Duration: 4 Months (2015)
Tribes Back to white This project was presented at Prague Quadrennial as a part of tribes. Visualised as a chorus of devils, who are viciously looking for weak and fragile souls to trap and drag down to an eternal hell but who are also narrating their own story of metamorphosis from angels to demons. In this process of metamorphosis an episode of ceremonial sacrifice reflecting the political scenario of scape goat and washing away of ones sin is highlighted. Final costumes strive to extend the body shape through live transformation of the garments and focus the expressivity through the face or lack of it. Further, venturing into the dichotomy between black and white and the connotations these colours have in relation to good and evil. Skills incorporated: Puff-Painting Research
Mask making Designing
Pattern making and Manipulation Sewing
Photography
MA Costume Design Collaborative Unit Duration: 2 Months (2015)
Costume for Live Performance Tragic life and death of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe I based my performance on the tragic Bhopal gas leak in the year 1984 in Bhopal, India. Exploring the idea of manmade apocalyptic situation as a result of political and bureaucratic irresponsibility, which lead to death of masses. I chose to make it a dark political humour, conspiracy and a site specific performance by staging it in the Bhopal factory of gas leak. The character in the images below is devil Mephistopheles who is the catalyst of death in form of blast, cloud of smoke and acid. Thus attempted to create a costume, which encompasses space in the air like smoke and spreads out as acid. Skills incorporated: Pattern making and manipulation Dyeing Photography Corsetry
Designing Research Stage lighting Sewing
MA Costume Design first unit Duration: 5 Months (2014)
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Poshak A trendy collection of unique ensembles This collection of ensembles was a part of my final year undergraduate project. In this collection of garments I experimented with different crafts, textiles, up cycling and recycling of garments, varied styles of clothing that hail from different parts of India. It was an attempt to amalgamate two different cultures into a contemporary ensemble. The inspirations for these ensembles came from deep-rooted Indian culture to retro Bollywood songs. Every garment has its own different story behind it, which unfolds through the image. Anarkali: The cut of the ensemble is ethnically Mughal, whereas the fabrics used are a blend of traditional Mushroo of Gujarat and synthetic georgette. Ghaghra: Screen-printed fabrics as laces along with intricate Kutchi mirror work on black polyester fabric. Angarakha: A garment worn by the Marathas, warrior tribes of Maharashtra. Which is up cycled from a traditional sari worn by the Hindu Brahmins called as Kali Chandrakala. Kalidar Kurta: The cut and style comes from the Jammu and Kashmir region of India whereas the hand painted yolk is of Madhubani painting native to Madhya Pradesh. skills incorporated: Designing and Styling Pattern making and manipulation kurta Ghaghara & Choli Hand embroideryAngarakha Hand paintingKalidar Sewing
Anarkali
Ghaghra
Angarakha
Kalidar Kurta
This ensemble is inspired from the dance festival of Gujarat i.e. Navratri. Use of block printed inisthe form of laces the bottom of and Mughals who were the warrior tribes from India. This fabrics ensemble an inspiration fromon costumes of Marathas Design inspiration for thisfrom garment was tocostumes. mix traditional of woven two completely different region and yet make It is double breasted pattern with kalis at below theunder bust which is inspired the Mughal Whereas clothing the intricate the Ghaghara (skirt)and few mirrors on the flare of the skirt to add some bling, as it will have a beautiful effect when worn night lace is taken from a sari which is traditionally Maharshtrian along with pearl jewelry. them look as one. the lights during the dance festival. I clubbed it up with a plain golden blouse which is finished with princess line. And a beautiful Bandhani dupatta. Enhances theThe cut and silhouette called Kalidar Kurta comes from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. And the intricate hand painting on the yoke called Madhubani comes from Madhya Pradesh state of India. ensemble.
ensemble by taking very a different pallet of colors and
g from Gujarat and left the back open. A pop of color by ms of the dress. is traditionally Mughal.
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B.Sc. Clothing & Textiles Third year - 5th Semester Duration: 5 Months (2012)
Automobiles These garments are inspired from automobiles. We had an extensive design process from developing the concept to realising it in form of finished garments. The concept was to amalgamate traditional and modern techniques and narrate the relation between humans and their creation. The major sources of inspiration are vintage cars and the cycle wheel. The Wheel dress reflects upon the intricacy and craftsmanship of human creation of the wheel. The concept of the Black Gown was how our own human creations are now becoming the reason for our destruction. skills incorporated: Cutwork Machine embroidery Tie and dye techniques Wire work & Corsetry
Wheel dress
Stencil & Screen printing Designing & Styling Sewing
Black Gown
B.Sc. Clothing & Textiles Third year - 6th Semester Duration: 3 Months (2013)
Kutch fascinated me with their various moods, aggressively marketing their merchandise, being shy Kutch and hiding behind their bright dupattas, atLand timesofeven Crafts boldly looking into the camera for a photograph. Kutch lies in the northwestern part of India in the state of Gujarat. It is India’s white desert, I found vividbountifully contrastwithofArts modern which isablessed and Crafts. Innumerous tribes having different forte amalgamatevalue to create platform of craft ranging influence and traditional ina the dressing of from embroideries, beadwork, dyeing and printing weaving to pottery. women. Innumerous piercing in the ears, white The crafts are their deep-rooted traditional self-impressions, which are passed on over bangles high up their arms, draping style of theSegments of national award winning shawl generations in the family of craftsmen. dupatta, and theirMyGhagharas spoke a lot about their visit to Kutch broadened my knowledge of arts and crafts and also exposed me to the world of newfangled traditional crafts. able to join the dots and connect the tribe’s deep traditional values in clothing. ButItatmade themesame tradition, culture and craft to their attire and clothing. Initially I used to look at crafts as mere time dupatta being of ofsynthetic extensive use pieces beautiful art.material, But now I look at them as self-expression and costumes. It also made me very sensitive toward traditional handicrafts of machine embroidery in their garments left me and most importantly sensitive towards the skill of an Artisan. Extra weft peacock pattern confused and fumbling for the reasons that why so..?
in progress.
Skills incorporated: photography, documenting and communication skills.
Documentation Kutch: Land Of Crafts
ng in progress
Block Printing
Shawl Weaving
y way back to Bhuj I dropped by Bhujodi, which seemed to be the bubbling craft capital of Kutch. Here I got to see all the B.Sc. Clothing & Textiles neatly organized in the craft center. But Ajrakh what fascinated me most was the weavers weaving in the front Third courtyard of their house. in process. year - 6th Semester oms were like an indispensable furniture of their homes. Here not only I got to see the weavers in action weaving shawls, but Duration: 2 Months (2013) t to see national award winning shawl. The intricacy and back breaking patience of the weaver left me spell bound.
Embroidery Threads Of Communication Through this project I have attempted to study embroideries that hail from different regions of India. My focus was on understanding the mythologies, stories, motifs and the materials used to create these magnificent pieces of art. Also understand the geographical, religious, economical and historical influences on the embroideries. Further I expanded my range to understand their end uses and their product diversification. But while doing this I attempted to keep the authenticity and traditional aspect of the embroidery intact A craft and its intricacies cannot be understood until we do it. Thus, tried my hand at doing few of the embroideries by hand. Here are some samples that I made in during my study. Skills incorporated: Hand embroidery, Research, Documentation, Photography, Design principles and Colour theories.
Kantha of Bengal
Phulkari of Punjab
Zardosi
B.Sc. Clothing & Textiles Second year - 4th Semester Duration: 4 Months (2012)
Fashion Illustration In this project I have sketched and rendered different silhouettes, textures, garments and ensembles. It refined my sense of colour, human body divisions and got better with my hand skills. Moreover it aided me in bridging the gap between my thoughts and expressing them on the paper and exploring them further. I also expanded my range by trying different medias of colours and experimenting snsexpress oniotaitratrstuthe slulIlphysicality ln I oniohishasFaof F garment. in creating different textures of fabrics to osloaslIRendering a.sItn .setn merm agra,egr,uetrxuettx,esColour te,tsteetutoeuholiHarmonies hs ltin s etrneeffreidffidderdeedrn edernedrndandaeh dcethecktsekesvaehvaIhtcIetjcoerjporspihstihntI nI Skills incorporated: esneesn s eysmym ded nefinefi r eIrtIcetjcoerjporspihstihhtghugourTh orTh .sru.sorulooclofco fsoaisdaeim dem tnetrneeffreidffigdngiynrityyrtb yebgnegarnayrmym dednedapnxaepxe Sketching Photoshop .sll.iskllsikdsndan hayhmym htihwtirwetrtetbtetbogtodgndansanosnisoivisid iviyddoydboebhteh,rto,lrooclofoc fo
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B.Sc. Clothing & Textiles Second year - 3rd Semester Duration: 4 Months (2011)
Photography
Thank You Ishita Kulkarni kulkarniishita@yahoo.in