Contents Brief Pages 2-3
Inspiration Pages 4-17
Development Pages 18-37
Toiling and Finishing Pages 38-69
Reflection Pages 70-71
Final Images Pages 72-79
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Notting Hill Riots
The unmanageable increase of Caribbean immigrants descending onto London’s streets put great pressure on various aspects of typical white London families. The battle for work and housing between the white and black citizens created an antagonistic environment, even in Notting Hill, considered then to be the ‘slums of West London’. The hostility reached a climax in 1958 on August 30th when London’s ‘Teddy Boys’ fought back in attempt to ‘Keep Britain White.’ This was the start of the Notting Hill Riots of ’58.
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Colin MacInnes ‘Absolute Beginners’ Colin Macinnes’ book ‘Absolute Beginners’ depicts this violent episode through the eyes of a young photographer who is very much against the racial intensions of the vicious attacks. Even though this is a fictional aspect of the riots it gave me a good insight into what the riots involved and allowed me to set the scene more. However, it was specific quotes taken throughout the book that inspired me most. It was this initial realisation that gave me the idea to research into not just the riots, but also the Notting Hill Carnivals that are now celebrated every year. The first Carnival was celebrated in 1964, a couple of years after the riots had broken out which gave the AfroCaribbean communities a chance to celebrate their own culture and traditions, allowing them to feel free and at home. The carnival in itself represents an act of solidarity and defiance in response to racial attacks. 6
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Riots As well as the difference between the races and the separation within one community, Colin Macinnes quote “And all along the ride there were patches of blue-black darkness, then sudden glares and flares of dazzling light�, was hugely inspiring. Instead of focusing on the contrast between the races I liked the idea of the juxtaposition that the flashes of light caused within the darkness. This influenced me to look into other riots and not just Notting Hill to deepen my understanding about racial riots. Detroit Riots in 1967 show a lot of similarities to The Notting Hill Riots and is coincidentally within the same decade. With this further research I decided to focus solely on the riot rather than the progression of the riot to carnival. The challenge to pull inspiration from the riot itself rather than the clear contrast of the two events seemed far more appealing to me.
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Contrast Contrast; a key word that I want to focus my inspiration around. I didn’t want to use the obvious idea of contrast within the theme, being the racial conflict. Yes, this is a major impact to my collection but from a political aspect of the topic it is something I do not want to touch upon. I feel this will open a whole other chapter to my theme that is too much of a widespread and controversial topic for me to research. I however, will take inspiration from what the racial conflict caused and the effects of it rather than the reason behind it. Obvious contrast taken from the riots is between the two races and how differently they both handle situations within the violent episode. Furthermore, the actions of being arrested were inspiring, as much as the police were in a helpless situation and struggled to control the violence, they did make as many arrests as possible. This conjured up the image of being constraint in an arm lock with the arrestee struggling and trying to pull away with the contrast between being restraint and pulling away. Thus inspiring a difference of fabrics, such as a voluminous fabric containing lots of drape qualities compared to a dense structured fabric that holds it shape well. Furthermore, a similar idea consists of the contrast between how calm the area of Notting Hill was and suddenly the whole area was in turmoil with the intensity of the Riots, “Silence in the air; together with a sort of movement.” This quote conjured up the image of a detailed or key focal point within an outfit or specifically a garment with a fairly minimal design as a contrast. More significantly this quote in particular inspired the title of my collection, ‘A Silent Movement.’ The word ‘silent’ conveying the image of calm, quiet and understated juxtaposed with the word ‘movement’ which suggests the idea of chaos and an overwhelming situation; both words together creating a strong image of what the collection will reveal. Moreover, I looked at the idea of separation. The inability of the two races being able to merge peacefully and live as one shows this idea of separation, that they both cannot join together, ‘Black and white didn’t mix back then.’
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Teddy Boys As I am led to believe it was the youth of the time, the infamous teddy boys that started the hostility emphasising that the cultures did not mix. I imagine them as the ‘Neds’ of our generation, troublesome and immature. Usually wearing a Zoot Suit with what is called a deformed-box or coffin cut shape, paired with a Neo-Edwardian Jacket that had a box cut back with no seams or vents. The trousers were high waisted and they usually wore tight drainpipe style trousers and finished with a pair of oxford brogues. However, in my eyes they just looked like little boys in their dad’s suits. 12
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Destruction Looking at the riots towards the end of the five nights of violence I started to look at the destruction that had been caused and how derelict the streets of Notting Hill were left, as Colin MacInnes describes, ‘Broken milk bottles everywhere scattering the cracked asphalt roads like snow, and cars parked in the streets looking as if they’re stolen or abandoned.’ The rioting caused huge devastation with smashed glass scattering the streets. Petrol bombs were used a lot setting many fires and burning vast areas, which evidently left everything rotted and rusty.
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Development My first step of developing these key concepts was draping on a quarter scale mannequin to get initial ideas for shape. Using two opposing fabrics, leather and poly-chiffon to start with. Chiffon being very lightweight and offered great draping qualities contrasted with a thick leather collar proposing the idea of restraint; trying to recreate the idea of tension that’s getting pulled and stretched away. I created various silhouettes with different areas showing and moving the areas of tension round the body, inspiring a long dress with a leather collar with knot like details and soft draping techniques. Moreover, the idea of constraint conjured up the image of a garment encasing the wearer and restricting their movement. This technique inspired my ideas for shape and silhouette for different garments rather than just the dress shape that appeared on the mannequin. This made me think about a cape silhouette, giving the wearer limited movement. 17
Continuing on with development I started to work on textures, being influenced mainly by the destruction of Notting Hill during the riots and how derelict the area became. I started burning fabrics from leather to paper in various ways such as using a lighter, a heat gun and placing fabric samples in the oven to see what the reactions were between the different methods. The one that inspired me most was the combination of a piece of white paper and a lighter which, created an irregular edge with sharp corners and rounded curves and a burnt colour that progressed from the edge. I then took shape produced and cut this out on fabric, however with the use of natural fabrics, in particular, frayed. I scanned the image into illustrator to get as close to this shape as possible and had it laser cut onto a variety of fabrics, working best on the more structured fabrics such as neoprene, leather and cotton drill compared to silks, chiffon and poly cotton. 18
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Balenciaga’s AW 14
Thinking of more ways in which fabrics could be destroyed, Balenciaga’s Autumn/ Winter 2014 cracked leather effect design, influenced me especially as the contrast was between the black and white of the cracks was so strong. With bin bags, wax, paint and heat I interpreted this idea. 20
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Developing on from the idea of cracks in fabric, as well as considering the idea of separation, I used an old plastic net fruit back to create the idea of spaces between shapes. By placing a section of the bag on top of a piece of material and painting on top meant that when the middle layer was peeled away it left a cracked like effect. Using the same technique I used foil instead of paint, which left an erratic shape once finished. Using the foiling in this method meant I was left with two different effects, what I was working on with the piece of fabric and what was left on the piece of foil that hadn’t transferred. I scanned in these images to allow me to create different effects with them. I then had these images laser cut onto neoprene and poly-cotton, which worked well. I especially liked that the synthetic fibres of these fabrics left a burnt mark around the edges. As well as this I etched the design onto leather, which burnt a layer off the top of the leather sample, and in a sense destroyed the fabric. 22
Taking this same textural design I scanned it in and tidied it up to see what this would look like as a print using devore paste. This would give the physical effect of gradual cracks and also the idea of the fabric being destroyed with the removal of a layer of fibres. 23
Thinking about the area of Notting Hill and the devastation that was left made me contemplate how various materials react when destructed. There was a great deal of metals used during the riot, “With razors and stakes and bike-chains and iron bars…”. This made me think about how various metals rust when destroyed to a certain point; especially with the likes of vehicles that had been set on fire. I took this idea to try and recreate a rust-like effect on garments. I bought a ‘rust spray’, which aids the break down of fabrics and gives and old, worn aesthetic. I tried this on various fabrics, however it did not take to any black fabrics. This gave me the idea to try bleach to see how it would destroy fabrics, it took the colour completely out and left me with a burnt orange colour similar to the rust left on metals. I also tried rubbing the fabrics against rusty metals, such as chains, locks and gates. This transferred onto the fabrics and wore them down at the same time. 24
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Colour Board Throughout my research my colour palette has slowly but surely progressed with out focussing too much on it. With the riots being in nineteen fifty-eight a lot of my research imagery is in black and white, which ironically, the inspiration behind my project is the differences between black and white cultures. This contrast between the two tones is the basis behind my colour palette. When considering a completely black and white collection I was worried that it would be too obvious and predictable. The evidence of colour within my research came from the images of fire and the smoke. I like the smoky greys that the fires produced and feel this would be a good, subtle link between the white and black. The vibrant orange that comes from fire and rust would be a good contrast and work well as an accent colour to break up the dark, harsh tones. 27
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Fabric When determining my fabric choices I thought a lot about how I wanted an evident contrast between the structures of my materials. Throughout my development I have tested a lot of fabric manipulation techniques on leather and have been really pleased with the diverse outcomes this fabric presents. With such a strong structure, I feel the harshness of the fabric is a good representation of the riots and the violence caused. Moreover, the image of smoke really inspired a few of my fabric choices, with the patchy effects that smoke produces I wanted to re-create this within the fabrics. I feel poly-cupro and sand-washed silk would represent this patchy uneven look well, as well as having great flowing drape qualities and a soft touch feel to it making it a great contrast to the leather. The textural elements of boiled wool would also work well, and will add a softer dimension to the fabrics. 29
Design Process With all of these initial ideas in my head I started to design specific garments at a time, producing about thirty designs for each type of garment. With this I produced my first initial line-up. After presenting my first line-up, I realised that I really needed to focus more on my theme when developing the shapes and silhouettes of the garments rather than just taking key inspiration and almost sticking it onto a basic already constructed garment. As well as this I needed to make the collection far more cohesive. Features such as shoulder shapes and hemlines also needed to be re-constructed, making the shoulders far sharper to portray the harshness of my concept and forget about the big swooping, draping hemlines. My masterpiece, the long dress did not work upon reflection so it was from here I started to develop my ideas further. 30
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Thinking about the teddy boys and their dress sense I introduced a lot more tailoring into my line-up, such as box-like shape jackets with limited shaping especially around the waist. As well as this I focused on cape-like structures, which offered that idea of restriction and made the collection instantly more cohesive. I removed both dresses, realising that my theme was very masculine focused therefor I needed to truly incorporate this within my designs. I kept my jumpsuit and trouser designs as they were and channelled these shapes more creating a playsuit with sharp shapes across the leg, changing the trouser shape from the inside to the outside to keep these shapes unified in both garments. This idea of sharp, smashed glass-like-shape, is evident throughout many of the designs in the hemlines, pocket shapes and the sharp box pleat in the detachable cape.
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It was at this stage I introduced the use of chains into the designs. I feel chains truly encompass the harshness of the theme and reflect the idea of constraint. It was the idea of rusty metal that I had in mind for the chains, I left chains out in the garden over a period of time which did go a bit rusty, however I came to the conclusion that this wasn’t practical for my final designs, especially if the rust started to defect my final garments. I was drawn to the copper chains, which I felt was the perfect alternative from the rusty chains, with the idea of copper inspired by the bright flame colours of fire. This idea of constraint similarly inspiring the ideas of cuffs, think of being arrested I decided to include leather cuffs around the ankle. Originally I wanted to have to cuffs round the ankle joined to each other by chains until I realised this was hugely impractical for the wearer to walk in. Adding cuffs made the collection more cohesive with this simple detail, using them in different ways with the cuffs round the trousers attached at the end of the sharp hemline and on the jumpsuit as more of a finish than a detail. I mimicked the shape of the jumpsuit more for the playsuit by adding the same leather collar shape to the top and instead of having the draping fabric from the breast point of the collar down to the ankle I recreated this shaped with chains instead. I used a similar idea for the oversized jumper to keep that idea of restriction, having the chains coming down from the hemline and attaching to cuffs at both ankles. 33
The idea of separation was apparent in not only the collar and cape, but now in both tailored jacket of look four and cape of look two. With both right and left hand-side never joining. To make this a focal point I realised I needed to make a feature out of the fastenings used. I looked at various options and considered having to make leather straps with fastenings attached to the straps to ensure I got that clear separation in the garments. However, I tried a couple of different fastenings that all worked well, but it was small trigger and lock clasps that I like the best. I chose to use the copper coloured clasps, which fitted well with the chains and again encapsulated the idea of a rusty, fire colour. Although, on testing them out I realised that the rivets provided with the fastenings didn’t actually fit together. My options were to find alternative rivets or to hand sew them individually on. I tried antique gold rivets, which were much bigger than the originals, but actually made the fastenings a much bigger feature. The panels on my Tailored Jacket and Cape had been designed as burnt orange suede, however they kept playing in my mind and I was never really happy with how it looked with the rest of the collection. The box pleat in the detachable cape had copper foiling as a surface decoration, which gave a really interesting finish on the leather. I decided to change the panels to black leather and feature the foiling on these as well. This is a much stronger look and one I am happier with. 34
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Lectra With the inclusion of the irregular edge on the various leather panels in the collection, which was originally created by being burnt I decided to try laser cutting the panels. To do this I had to digitize my pattern pieces using Lectra. I then had them laser cut, which gave a great finish allowing me to leave them raw. 37
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Toiling and Finishing Process
Using a size 10 trouser block I created the overall silhouette of the right trouser leg. I then mirrored this shape to create the right hand trouser leg pattern continuing by adding an extra 10 cm on to the waist to allow the trouser leg to wrap over a 5cm waistband then slashing and spreading 30cm from the top. I added in a short layer underneath the right hand trouser leg to allow for the top layer to be gathered in without and skin showing. After first toile the trousers were taken in by 2cm each side and the slant of the hemline increased by 3 cm on the outside. 40
Look 1 Trousers When finishing the trousers I decided to face and line the trousers rather than bind the seams as the material was slightly see through. However, the lining was too tight for the trousers and made the trousers bunch up and not sit right. I extended the lining, which made the right leg sit much better however the volume in the left leg still made it bunch up. I pulled the gathering in the left leg into the lining at the waistband and then anchored each gather at the front. This held it in place and controlled the volume making it sit far better. To attach the cuffs I needed to top stitched as I didn’t want the leather folded into a seam. It was here I decided that all cuffs would be top stitch to keep the look united throughout. 42
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Look 1 Top The shape of the top was kept basic with slight sharp edge sleeves to copy the hemlines on the shorts and trousers. The main focus of this top is the surface decoration of the cracked devore print. I carried out the process of devore on the top to get the desired affect. After screenprinting the fabric I put it in the heat press for the suggested 20 secs. Due to the silk/ viscose being so delicate the heat press had slightly burnt the fabric. I made the decision to put the other two pieces in for the same length of time so that even if they were burnt they would all be kept the same. After brushing and washing each piece I was really happy with the results and the idea of burning fitted very well with my theme. 45
Look 1 Tailored Jacket I used the size 10 tailored jacket block for the jacket removing all waist shaping to keep the box like structure and the one piece sleeve pattern to keep this style. The leather layer of the jacket was on top of the front two panels without being in the collar to reduce bulk, and met at the side seams and continued round the back. 46
The tailored jacket was lined with the smoke print with the pockets in this lining as well. I used a hammer to try and flatten the thickness of the leather and top stitched in suitable areas. However, the thickness round the lapels was very bulky I decided not to topstitch, as it would have been really hard to neatly top stitch through such thick layers. 47
Look 2 Tailored Jacket/Cape Again for the jacket I used the size 10 tailored jacket block. I constructed a very basic jacket with one-piece sleeve on the left hand side, however on the right-hand side I created a cape style to add chains on to. To do this I took 6cm down the centre of the sleeve to create a strip for the chains to attach too and again 6cm off the top of front block at the shoulder and curved it round down the centre front of the block accounting for the collar and button stand. I included an invisible button stand on the left hand side so that the right hand side was completely invisible from the front and hid the functioning part of the cape of chains. I similarly curved round to the back of the jacket from the shoulder, and added on 5cm from the centre back so that it matched the centre front.
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When finishing the tailored jacket/cape I used the same smoky print lining as the jacket from look 1. I cut strips of felt and sewed them down the facing of the centre front/back and two strips down each side of the ‘sleeve’ panel. This allowed me to attach the chains after the jacket had been sewn up, as the machine would not allow me to sew through the chains to turn it through. I completely faced the right hand side and lined/faced the left. The chains were hand sewn after the jacket was completed. 49
Look 2 Shirt For the oversized shirt I used uni-sex woman’s medium sized ski jacket block to give that oversized, dropped shoulder silhouette. I extended the length of the shirt as well as the sleeves down to knee length. I made the collar 7cm high to give me the high restrictive collar I desired, however the difference between that and the stand wasn’t enough so by increasing the collar stand by 2cm it sat far better. I also added in an invisible button stand to match the jacket. I decided against gathering the sleeves up to create the idea of being oversized as it look liked intentional ruffles, which were far too feminine. I decided to incorporate a sharp edge down the side seams tying it in with various other garments. When finishing the shirt I did a 0.5cm double turn round the edge, as the silk was so fine this is how it sat best. When adding the cuffs I decided not to have a placket as they didn’t need to be functional anyway with the length of them. 50
Look 2 Jeans The trousers, I kept very skin-tight which meant I had to add in invisible zips on the outside seams to allow the wearer to get them on and off over the ankle with ease. The pockets are a sharp diagonal shape, which makes them more contemporary than a traditional drain-pipe jean. For the jean fastenings I sourced a copper metal jean zip and copper jean buttons to keep the collection cohesive and have copper finishing’s throughout. 51
Look 3 Playsuit The playsuit was made up of a size 10 bodice block, that I split down the shoulder and waist darts to give three panels on each front and back. Using the trouser block I adapted the darts and shape of the trouser waist to fit to the bodice, again creating the same diagonal shape as the trousers at the hemline but rounding if off at the side seams to make them sit better. I attached the two leather collars to the neckline of the playsuit leaving the left shoulder open. The leather collars overlapped by 3cm with the same irregular edge down the neck and shoulder line. I wanted the playsuit to match the edges of the collar and also overlap however this would mean having to glue the fabric to the leather which I didn’t consider to be a suitable finish and the glue would seep through the fabric. I then decided that they had to be two separate pieces adding an extra 2 cm on at the shoulder seam to the front and back panels of the playsuit to accommodate for a button stand and left the collar over lapping on top of this. 52
When sewing the collar together I decided to glue and hammer down the seams instead of topstitching as it gave a far neater finish. I made sure to cover the surrounding area with masking tape so that the glue didn’t seep out. The shoulder of the playsuit was finished using the copper trigger and lock clasps. The playsuit was faced and lined, as again the fabric was slightly see-through. I inserted an invisible zip down the left hand side and used the same copper buttons as the jeans at the left hand shoulder that is under the detachable collar. On the lowest point of the collar at the breast point I attached a strip of felt using copydex to give me something to sew the chains on to. Similarly I did the same around the top front of the cuff after topstitching and attaching the clasp. This gave me to pieces to hand sew the five chains on to. 53
Look 4 Cape The cape started off with big sharp shoulders and the seam falling down side of the arm. I split the cape into the desired panels and sewed together with a lockstitch machine. However, the panels didn’t seem big enough to stretch round the bottom of the body. I felt the shoulders were really harsh and didn’t quite look right. I decided to completely remove the shoulders removing 5 cm off both back and front panels and decided that the cape would descend down over the shoulders with chains. This still didn’t sit round the body right so I added in a side panel so it comfortably sat round the arm, developing this more I made into a triangular shape so that it came round to the front more and sat much better. 54
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5 chains instead
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Due to the fabric being double faced, with neoprene on one side and boiled wool on the other I didn’t want to line this and hide either side. Due to neither fabric fraying I was able to keep the edges raw. I decided to flat lock the seams together to get a flat as possible finishing so that the shape of the cape wasn’t deformed. To finish the leather I added a small facing in between layers so that the boiled wool wasn’t affected and attached the facing straight to the raw edge. I then topstitched the leather to keep it flat. Along the top front and back I again sewed on a strip of felt, which hid the raw edges and allowed me to attach the chains to support the cape. The centre front was kept separated again with the trigger and lock clasps. I decided to attach the two front panels with chains instead of the original idea of a clasp as they were too far apart and they didn’t need to be functional or open at any point. 56
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Look 4 Poloneck I wanted a really oversized shape for the polo neck with a tight hemline, however this gave a very balloon like shape which I wasn’t happy with so I decreased the volume I had added into the waist line and loosened it round the hips which gives a far better shape. The jumper was finished using the cover stitch machine to allow for the stretch in the fabric. The collar was left raw to ensure it gave the full oversized effect, being sewn inside out and folded over to hide the seams.
Look 4 Shorts For the shorts I used the size ten trouser block which, I measured down 15cm from the crotch and 31cm down the outside seam. I made sure to square off at the inside and outside of the leg so to avoid a sharp, angular edge at the join. I then took 5cm off the waist to allow for a waistband to be added. I then started adding in the diagonal pockets and the jean zip fastenings the same as the jeans. The shorts were finished in the same way as the jeans with a copper zip and button to finish them. 59
Look 5 Oversized Poloneck I used the same pattern cutting technique as the shirt to create the oversized drop shoulder technique, adding the same length to the body and sleeves. I added the same volume to the jumper as I did the short polo neck and had the same issue of it being a horrible balloon shape that was too tight around the legs for the wearer to get it over their head. I widened the bottom and reduced the waist to get the desired shape. The collar was made higher than usual to create the same restrictiveness as the shirt, however this time a big polo neck that folded over. In the same way as the polo neck the jumper was finished using a cover stitch machine and left raw around the collar. I topstitched round the cuffs, attached the clasp then using copydex attached a strip of felt to attach the chain too. The chain was sewn to the felt and then inside the seam of the jumper. 60
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Look 6 Jumpsuit The jumpsuit consisted of the exact same bodice patterns as the playsuit which I now knew I had to keep separate from the leather collars. I used the same technique as the trouser pattern adding a shorts layer on the left hand side and a tight trouser leg on the right. To create the volume on the left I took the same pattern as the right side, added 15cm to extend it up to the breast point then slash and spread down the middle to create the volume. This was then gathered and joined to the lowest point on the collar. 62
I used the same pattern as the playsuit to create the top two collars, by taking the irregular edge off of the collar I was able to create the top edge of the cape so that it fitted in perfectly with the collar. To get the strong separation between the two I took 2cm off the top of the cape still keeping the same uneven shape though. Adding in volume to create the box pleat, however only enough that it never quite closes. To finish off the edge I kept a few sharp angular shapes all the way round the hem. 64
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The left hand leg of the jumpsuit also has the devore affect on the top half of the leg. To get this I had to use the specific silk/viscose georgette fabric so that it reacted to the devore paste. However, this only came in the white of the top in look 1 so I dyed the fabric black to match the silk being used for the main part of the jumpsuit. The georgette fabric was very delicate and see-through which meant you could see the functioning short layer underneath. I decided to make a feature out of it and made it an angular edge to match the playsuit and shorts. In the same was as the playsuit I decided to line the jumpsuit, however I only did a half lining which was shorts length as I didn’t want to distract from the detail on the left hand leg. 66
I gathered the left hand leg at the top by hand sewing and attached it to a felt strip cut to the same size as the lowest point of the collar. I then sandwiched the fabric between the felt and the under side of the leather using copydex which hid the hand sewing and how it was attached. After trying the jumpsuit on a model I realised that the fabric had no stretch and the wearer had difficulty getting it over the ankle. I added an invisible zip into the outside seam and topstitched on the leather cuff leaving it open at the side seam allowing the clasp to close it properly and cover the zip.
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Labels To finish off my garments I produced labels in my black leather, rectangular shaped with the irregular edge along the bottom edge. While researching branding of companies, Maison Martin Margiela minimalistic branding techniques really inspired me. This is when I came up with the idea of attaching a small length of chain to the outside of the garment where the label had been stitched.
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Overall, I feel my collection works successfully and is fully cohesive. I am very happy with my decision to change the suede panels to the copper foiled leather as I feel this is a real strong focal point of my collection. Upon reflection I wish I had chosen fabric sooner, I feel I was very unsure for a long time of what I was going to use until last minute when I had to make the decision, however I am happy with what I chose in the end. 70
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