process analysis document 2015/2016
Content Concept Research
9/11 13/25
Slow Fashion Water pollution Mongolia Buddhist monks InAce
Development 26/39 sampling production & 40/67 reflection bibliography
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CONCEPT
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CONCEPT The collection consist of menswear garments, that is shown in six outfits in total. Casual wear that infuses soft tailoring combined with active wear material choices. The collection mainly is inspired from autumn season and it would be made from different weight fabrics starting from light indian silk, middleweight wool blend to heavy-weight cotton. The color palette is based on cold ice shades and neutral pastels starting from light blue that develops to silver accents through different grays. The color inspiration is based on the water combined with rural Mongolia nature in rough winter. The key items in this collection are soft tailored coats, vests and long sleeve sweatshirts; combining them with a smart-looked tailored trouser and additional draping as well as pleating on the garments to further emphasize water’s nature . And pleating that is referenced on traditional Mongolian undergarments. The overall silhouette would be kept minimalistic and simplistic. Straight line semi fitted coats; slightly oversized. Shirts that combine drape and structure in harmony. Simplistic straight silhouette with minimal pleated detailing makes garments easier to mix and match for different occasions. Despite that main design is based thinking about autumn season the garments can be layered up and down to adopt all four seasons- spring, summer, autumn and winter. The main idea is to layer and combine different structured garments. The coats and vests are made from more structural materials that would give the look of the perfect still surface while pleated key details would remind about the unsteady flow under ice. Underneath top garments comes shirts that are draped and made from more fluid soft material. Combined with semi fit trousers. The bottoms are made from mid weight material incorporating key details in design.
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In fashion industries the main task is to predict and create upcoming trends. Designers always want to be one step forward, always inventing something new or recreate and present past styles in a fresh look. But how far do they look into? We should widen our perspective and look further ahead than just the next season. How do you see the future in next 50 years? Have you ever thought about what impact you can have in this world? As fashion designers, we have the power to change and shape the industry. We are the ones that create and offer next trends; so why not to use this power to shape people’s minds to be more sustainable? Turn this trend into a lifestyle. Create slow fashion garments that you could adapt to upcoming trends. Base garments that can be timeless.
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This project’s main concept is to create a timeless collection that would be in trends year by year. That way being more environmental friendly and sustainable. In addition to addressing sustainability issues and emphasizing on slow fashion; the main inspirations for this collection is water and its ever changing nature. Then, as the research developed, I looked into Mongolians and their lifestyle in the wilderness, the natural environment and I seek inspiration not only from their lifestyle and culture but also their religion that is based on Buddhism. The water inspiration in the collection is shown through fabric choices and combinations, as well as outfits that are created by layering garments. Water is mainly associated with its liquid state, but it also has many other states. It coexists on earth and surrounds us in different forms. It can be in a solid state as ice and a gaseous state as steam. It also exists in forms of cloud, fog, snow and dew. To emphasize all water states, the garments would be made starting from light weight jersey to heavy woven materials like cotton and wool blends. Light weight materials symbolizes water’s fluid nature and purity while cotton and wool blends would weave in a feeling of heavy snow and ice blocks.
When it comes to the collection’s main silhouette, the inspiration is taken from Mongolian’s traditional attire, which is also known as DELS. It is a long, loose gown cut in one piece with the sleeves; it has a high collar and widely overlaps at the front. It is minimalistic and straight. This silhouette is perfect for timeless base garments. The base pattern is inspired from a traditional kimono pattern. It makes it easy to combine and layer up and down the outfit according to the seasons and occasions Buddhism covers the color pallet and detailing in the collection as well as a pure-minimalistic aesthetics. The robe is the main inspiration for drapping in garments. One of the trends that inspired the color pallet and aesthetics along with Buddhism is the 2016 autumn/ winter, Elemental. This trend could be described as epic yet intimate. Emphasizing on less is more in design and putting focus on the purity of form and function.
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RESEARCH
Slow Fashion “quality over quantity” Slow fashion movement.
What is slow fashion? There is no one precise definition that would stand for slow fashion movement. Main idea actually comes from the slow food movement that began in Italy in the 1980s. This movement is based on eco-friendly production, sustainability and quality. Twisting the priorities in the way that would work in long term and minimize damages of over consuming the natural resources.
Why we need a slow fashion movement? The fashion industry is associated with new trends and globalized mass production. Most retail shops offer garments for low price to increase sells. In order to do it the fashion process needs to be fast and produce collections in just a few weeks to make more profit. It leads to constant depletion of fossil fuels and fresh water reservoirs that are used in production starting from textile production to garment transportation. The main idea is that we are consuming and wasting more resources than we actually need. That leads to ecological problems. The damages that fashion industry creates for environment each and every year is increasing. In order to decrease damages we need to redesign the current unsustainable practices in society. One of the most important persons in the sustainable fashion movement is Kate Fletcher that addressed sustainable issues in the industry.
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More consumers and designers are aware about damages that have been caused by unsustainable production process. And awareness has started to reshape design and production ‘quality over quantity’. Designers that think bigger than just next trend forecasts are one step forward. They work not only on design part, but also sores the most efficient materials and rely on local production. As outcome garments are not only more ecologically friendly, but also have a unique story. This production model not only helps decrease the constant depletion, but also helps local people who are part of the production.
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Water Water is one of the most important substances on earth. All plants and animals must consume some form of water to survive. If there was no water there would be no life on earth. Water is the main inspiration for my capsule collection. Not only because it is important, but also because of water’s ever changing nature. Water is mainly associated with its liquid state, but it has many other states. It coexists on earth and surrounds us in different forms. It can be in solid state as ice and gaseous as steam. It also exists in forms of cloud, fog, snow and dew. As water covers 71% of the Earth’s surface we see how big a part it actually plays in contributing to our existence. My main aim is to raise awareness of the importance of what nature has given us and encourage people to pay more attention to sustainability, in order to save earth. People are wasteful when it comes to earth sources. If we ignore the fact that everything has limits, then the next generations might not have a chance to live in the same natural environment as we. When it comes to the fashion industry, the control of water waste is simply horrible. Society buys into fast fashion with the industry increasingly promoting and selling cheap and fast fashion at a ridiculously fast pace. There are a few designers and people who try to educate people about sustainability. It was hot topic while it lasted, but due to the nature of people always wanting something new, they simply grew out of it. So as an outcome, sustainability is no longer on front covers. The new trend of revolutionizing body image has arrived. And it is heavily used as a selling point.
Despite fast changes in trends, I still want to remind society that it is our responsibility to ensure that the earth stays undamaged. We cannot undo what is done, but we can put in an effort to save what we have left.
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water
pollution When we address sustainability issues that are caused by fast fashion industry one of the hot topics are water waste and its footprints on earth. Water takes a huge part in fabric production and after purchase garment maintaining.
For instance cotton might seem like a smart choice, especially if it is labelled as organic cotton, but do you know that it takes more than 5,000 gallons of water to manufacture just a T-shirt.? Water is used widely in textile industry for dying and making materials that end up as products that fulfil retail stores. Clothing manufacturers dump their chemicals into rivers and cause a huge damage that affects not only nature but local people. For instance, in Indonesia the Citarum River is considered one of the most polluted rivers in the world due to nearby textile industries.
Another example is an Aral Sea region. The Aral Sea used to be the world’s fourth largest lake and home to 24 species of fish. While the lake was salt water, the rivers that field it was fresh water. The harm is done not only for nature but also for local people. The lake pollution from surrounding cotton fields has released salts and pesticides into the atmosphere, causing damage for farm lands and people. Carcinogenic dust is blown into nearby villages causing throat cancers and respiratory diseases for locals. An area that once was filled with green lands and fishermen now is dried up and left as desired. And the reason is cotton that is one of the most demanded materials in the fashion industry.
These are just two samples of damage that is done by the fashion industry. There is countless footage left on our planet Earth from water waste.
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mongolia
One of the main inspirations that pervading through collection is based on Mongolia untouched nature and people lifestyle outside cities. As a main concept is based on sustainable design through slow fashion movement, this rustic, wild land that still keeps up traditional nomadic lifestyle alive is a perfect reflection of the Eco fashion concept. Mongolia is placed between Russia and China. The history that these countries shears is still remaining on borders as the Great Wall of China. And nowadays works as a tourism attraction.
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The reason why this place is so special is because the people still cherish traditions even nowadays, instead of the city crowd, they prefer to stay between mountains and lakes to live simple life as nomads.
Deel is the main garment that is worn by men as well as women.The only diference is that male deels are wider and in darker colours than womens. The everyday Del is in grey and brown shades while accusing garments are bright blue, green or claret silk. Traditional dress is functional and easy adopted to lifestyle in the steppe. Deel can be cut long or slightly below knee. It is loose gown that is cut in one piece with the sleeves. Nowadays we call it kimono pattern. The traditional garment have high collars and widely overlaps at the front. Mongolian deel is always closed on the right side and fastened with narrow strips of cloth tied into knots. Mongolia consists of different Ethnic groups, each group have distinguished their dells by its colour, cut and even trimming. Each season the deel is adapted to appropriate weather. Dell have been divided into three different types. Dan Del is worn in spring and summer, it is made from light and bright materials mostly worn by women. Tarleg Del is slightly thicher and warmer than Dan Del. When winter approaches the Del that have been worn is padded tunic that is lined with sheepskin. As they live in tribes most of food and clothing they collect and handcraft themselves. Mongolians are proud eagle hunters and horse riders. Functionality in their outfits has a major role. Materials for outfits have been taken straight from the surrounding environment and made into function garments that can be worn through all year around.
Under deel is worn trousers and women might wear underskirts. Trousers are simple straight cut without any ornaments, purely functional garments. As for underskirts they have plain front and back panels have closely pleated side panels. In addition to the deel and trousers, more wealthy people wear capes, smart hats and silk waistcoats.
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Buddhist monks Mongolian beliefs and culture is based on Buddhism and its ethics. Buddhism movement has a deep connection with nature, so it is perfect inspiration to incorporate as one of the main themes. Sustainability and slow fashion shear ethics as monks- respect for life including surrounding environment. Monks and their simple aesthetic lifestyle with minimal material needs and their harmonized life is the key I want to use in my collection.
The lifestyle monks lead can seem quite radical for the modern day and age for an average person. Their highest value is wisdom and mindfulness that are synchronized with a peaceful life. They have inner peace and knowledge they shear with people is their mission in life. Monks don’t have envy or hate. Clear mind and pure soul allow them to see the world from a different perspective. Modern society should be reminded what is actually important, meaningful bas. Unfortunately, consumer nature has shifted our value scale and we have forgotten how to be honestly happy. There are a few key elements that every person should keep in mind in order to be more happy and fulfilled. Focus on spiritual, taking care of others not only for themselves, meditate and follow the wise one, it means being open to learn from other people.
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As a material aspect is not important for Buddhism, monks their clothing is the simplistic and the main focus on functionality. The Buddhism monk robe is called Kasaya. Originally it was made from discarded fabric, These were stitched together to form three rectangular pieces of cloth, which were then fitted over the body in a specific manner. Each of the pieces has a specific name and function. The inner robe covering the lower body is called antarvasa.
It is base layer that works as an undergarment covering almost the entire body. In addition Uttarsanga is the top leyer for antarvasa that gives extra coverige. And the last top layer that is part of Buddhism robes are called Samaghati. The colours for monks cloathing can wariete. The most common ones are deep red, black, yellow, blue and magnolia swatches. In collection has used the layering principle for outfits and the simplistic silhouette and sateled colour palette.
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InAisce In as was originally anti-trend menswear label that started showcasing collections in 2009. Now the label has a few smaller collections for Womenswear as well. Monochrome color pallet – matte black through charcoal and steel grays are one of the key elements that distinguish this brand. Sculptural lines of the garments pervade season after season, capturing tribal, nomadic feeling, compounded through variations of texture. In one of the interviews designers said that his main inspirations come from the surrounding architecture in New York as well as from distant memories about the time he spend in Colorado, Indonesia, Taiwan and Japan. He is combining two contrasting elements to create outstanding designs. Industrial steel walls with fresh breezes from nature. Designer in his garments have achieved balance and harmony in a unique way.
competitor Huge influence in his work is coming from Japan. During his travelings around the world he spend some time period in this part of Asia. It contributed to his aesthetics, in his work can see and feel that huge part takes influences from Japanese culture. The designer actually did apply to work in one of the fashion houses there, but during his interview the mentor asked why he doesn’t start his own label. And that is how this journey begun. Jona key element for success is valued. He believes that base for good design starts with quality, craftsmanship and attention to detail. The designer did not push his collections to runaways straight away, he wanted to create garments that would gain trust from consumers first. Selling his design in small boutique shops in New York he organically gained notification from the fashion world. Now you can buy InAisce starting from London to Tokyo.
Incase shares the same aesthetics with me. The design concept is based on quality, detailing and fabric choice. An advanced, minimalist style that is timeless.
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Development
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Graduate collection is strongly based on my research and target market. The core idea for ICEBOUND collection is about slow fashion movement. That is a main factor in the garments’ high quality and attention towards the smallest details. Collection ICEBOUND is made for a wider commercial market, men in the age group from 18 till 45. Collection concept is based on sustainability and water pollution issues that are created by fast fashion movement. As main inspirations are Mongolian tribe lifestyle and their religion- Buddhism; their culture and aesthetic had a great influence in creating the main silhouettes and colour palette. As this collection is for Autumn/Winter season, the main garments included in the outfits were coats, shirts and long trousers.
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Silhouettes
developed from a more minimalistic and classic semi fit tailoring in garments to more soft tailoring and casual look. That happened because the initial ideas were based only on water pollution and sustainability but as the sketches developed, new inspirational sources were added: one of them was the Mongolian lifestyle. The look of the lineups changed from tailored to a more casual and comfortable aesthetic, adding in development of sweatshirts instead of button up shirts. At the early stages, coats were fitted and with a smart tailored finish but in the development process it changed to give them more of a relax feeling. To create a feeling of protection the outerwear silhouettes were changed with wider shoulder lines and bigger sleeves. This shape created the illusion of a bigger body build which is needed when you are surviving in the wilderness. The outer garments created a layering effect to emphasize on Mongolians garments that are versatile for all four seasons just by using layers. The pleats detailing was added into the garments to create a sense of armours that was worn by Mongolian horse riders.
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COLOUR
choice for this collection is mainly based on Mongolian landscapes during winter and autumn seasons. During the beginning of the project, the palette consisted of a variety of sandy greys and whites but as the ideas developed further, more colours were added like a variations of blue. This change gave a nice highlight to the garments, particularly with the grey tones. The hardest part was to choose the final designs for the line-up. While working on the development, hundreds of good ideas were created that it was hard to narrow it down to only 6 outfits that would be taken into production.
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production
sampling &
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Coat The double layered coat with raglan sleeves and a pleated decorative detail on the back of the collar got more attention from all the coats that were made. In the beginning when this design was brought to pattern making I did not use raglan sleeves instead regular cut sleeves were used in order to save more fabric in the cutting process. But it lost the look I was going for so it ended up going back to the initial idea with the raglan sleeve.
The main problem in toiling this coat was in sleeves. I originally wanted to create a sleeve pattern combining a classic jacket sleeve with a raglan sleeve head. However, the problem was in a fit: the sleeve head pulled at the fabric causing twisting, at least that’s what I thought was creating the fabric twisting in the sleeve. For this coat I used basic gent’s jacket block size 40 in chest. The basic block size fitted on shoulders correctly ;while around the chest it was a bit too big. To fix this I took in 2cm from the chest and dropped 2 cm in the sleeve hole to add extra ease to movement; finished my first toile with a double layered front that I managed to infuse in one detail, joining a top coat part with the under coat through a front cut on chest part. After the problematic part was noticed the next few toiles were made only by concentrating on sleeve part. After the third sample I could clearly see that the problem in sleeves was not because of raglan construction but the problem was in BASIC GENTS BLOCK. In the process of trying to create a basic block from scratch to avoid that sleeve pull and fabric twist, 7 other sleeve prototypes were made. I did not remake the entire coat because the main body of this double coat worked in first attempt. In order to fix pattern problem I did create new separate basic block from size 40 measurement chart for my coats.
The final garment was made from a dark wool blend combined with a tie-dye light blue mohair and wool blend. This coat has jet pockets, is longer in front and 10cm shorter in the back. For this design invisible buttons fastening was ¬used to keep a clean and minimalistic finish. The garment is exactly as it was planned- clean and crisp.
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trousers These trousers were designed with smart tailored look in mind with additional decorative details that covered front fastening part. Look one, trousers pattern were made using gents block in size 38. Toiles were made to see proportions and make sure that the sketch and working drawing looked exactly the same as the 3D outcome. Few small changes were made , for instance the diagonal cut on the back side initially was not there. This cut line was added in order to make pattern more interesting from behind. As the first prototype worked no further toiles were made. The final garment were made from a dark grey wool blend material that gave a nice tailored look.
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sweatshirt Top part for outfit one at the beginning was planned to be draped. First toile was made by working on mannequin creating drapes that after that was transformed on paper pattern and then again recreated into the garment. But when all shirts were made and put together in line they looked too similar even with different drape designs and placements. Because of that in the collection were added sweatshirts. And outfit one draped shirt was changed to sweatshirt.
The sweatshirt for this look is made by combining two different fabrics; Indian silk and soft brushed jersey; in decorative panelling. Only problem that was created by sewing these two fabrics together was that on middle seam silk slightly gathered.
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vest This vest is the statement piece of the collection. Huge and exaggerated shoulder lines create the desired silhouette. The design for this vest is mainly based on protection and functionality. The garment reminds of armour, not only because of its shape but also because of the look of the fabric combination that is used for the final piece. The pattern was made using a casual gents jacket block in size 40. After that it was altered in order to make the desired look; the shoulder line was extended by 5cm and the sleeve hole was lowered by 2cm to add extra ease for movement. Right proportions between layers were hugely important for look so in the toile I was mostly concentrating on creating a right balance between layers. The biggest challenge in production was the fabric thickness when all three layers were sewn together, especially because I could not iron one of my final fabrics otherwise I would lose the texture of material. While the front of the vest was kept clean from cut lines, all technical cuts were transferred onto the back in order to keep it as clean as possible.
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trousers The trousers for this outfit were designed with decorative side details that were secured at the back panel and reach all the way to front. These trousers are made from light and dark grey fabric combination. This contrast in fabrics adds more a interesting twist to the final garment. The trousers for this outfit are made from two layers: the first layer is made from casual gents trouser block size 38; the top part is a purely decorative design feature with no functional meaning. The pattern for these trousers was easy to make but the hardest part was to sew the in-seam pockets, because pocket was sewed in between decorative top layer and main trousers layers.
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sweatshirt The shirt design for this outfit was based on a draping technique; the silhouette is elongated with a low drape point on the right side. To get the look I wanted for the shirt I first needed to recreate the design on a stand by draping; I took notes and pictures while I was doing it. When design that was on sketch was recreated on the mannequin I made marks on the fabric and took it off; In order to trace fabric and make 2D pattern that I would use for sewing my final garment .Following marks on the fabric I recreated the desired drape. It took a long time to recreate the drape and pattern making on the mannequin. In total I made two toiles to create this look. Originally it was planned to use more structural fabric for this garment, like soft cotton but while I was working on the stand I noticed that it wanted to break and didn’t drape as nice as I wanted. In the end I used knitted jersey fabric for my toile. To secure drape positions a normal lock stick on the shoulder lines was used.
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Coat This coat design have elongated silhouette with decorative pleated panels on the sides and a double pleat on the back that reaches all the way from top of the collar till the bottom of the coat. Because of the coat’s elongated silhouette the most important thing for this look was proportions. The first toile was too long especially around the torso area. In the sketch and technical drawing the coat finishes just at the waist line then the pleated panels reach down to just above the knees. I overestimated the average man’s height and the garment was 10cm too long. The other proportion that was incorrect was the collar: the double collar was made too high in the first prototype, so for the final toile I corrected this proportion by lowering it 3cm in total. After fixing all proportions I did notice a technical problem – one side of the coat was higher than the other one. It was caused by the design decision to insert double pleated detail right in the middle of the coat’s back; starting with the collar. The pleated part was not strong enough so the weight of the coat pulled it slightly down and that created 5mm-1cm difference in the neck levels. It was less obvious on the back but more noticeable from in the front. To fix this I added additional button fastening in the front so it would reduce the asymmetry and give extra support for fabric. The final garment was made from a light blue tiedye mohair wool and the side panels from a dark blue wool blend.
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trousers For this look the initial trouser design was slightly changed after the first toile. In the beginning I had the idea that a decorative panel at the front would fold around sides and then be attached at the back. However, when it was sewn together I didn’t like the look and fabric didn’t want to hold its shape when it was folded over to the back. After that I decided to leave the panels only at the front and by having attached them at the side seams I created functional pockets. In the design it was planned to add ; but in process I decided to keep a more classic tailored look. The final garment was made using a fabric combination of a light grey denim and a dark grey wool blend suit material.
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sweatshirt This sweatshirt is made from a soft jersey combined with a chunky wool material on top. To create the pattern for this garment I used a men’s shirt basic block pattern in size 38. The Sweatshirt has two layers in the front which added more edge to the look; the top layer’s raw edges were finished by cover stiches and then the garment was sewn together. The toile and final garment were made using overlocking and cover stitching; the sweatshirt cut compliments the coat and trousers.
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Coat The design changed slightly after the first made toile: originally the coat was planned to have a double collar and fastening. Yet when I started to work on the pattern I saw that I could improve the look by keeping a clean aesthetic. Instead of a double collar, panels that gave a similar feeling were made which referred back to the layer principle. The first prototype was made using gents casual jackets basic block in size 40 but it was too big so the next toile was made using a size smaller. The main attention for this coat’s model was on the shoulder panels and back; on the back is a geometrical ornament that was created using panels. In the first prototype the back detail was pleats but in the second toile I decided to reduce amount of pleats and just leave three pleats on each side of the back split. It gives cleaner and gave a nice balance; the vent on the back was there to add extra ease to the garment. The slightly elongated silhouette in the front and the panels in the back create a nice look.
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trousers The trousers for this look were made using the tailored trouser basic block size 38. The right side has three pleats with each pleat being secured with lock stich to avoid pulling and stretching of the fabric whilst walking. These trousers have a decorative panel that is sewn on the left side seam and is secured on right side of belt part with a button. This panel hides the front zipper and gives nice clean look. The pattern and toile worked out first time with no complications. Final garment is made from a light grey suite fabric.
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sweatshirt Sweatshirt for this look was created by three layers at the front part and panels on the back. The garment’s cut was inspired by Buddhist monks’ robes. The toile was made to make sure if the front layers won’t start to pull too much at the back since the front part of the sweatshirt is heavier than back due the amount of layers. There wasn’t any need for a second toile since there weren’t any problems. The important thing was to match up the back panels and front layers at the side seams to create nice fluid line in garment. The sweatshirt is made from two materials that are knitted jersey and woven linen. This fabric choice gives a soft but the same time structural feeling to garment.
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vest
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Main inspiration for the vest design is taken from Mongolian garments that are versatile to all four seasons by using a layering principle. This vest is designed with three layers in the front: the first layer is part of main body; the second layer is sewn just on the top of the first but the third layer is the lapel – the lapel is the longest layer from all three. The initial design was clean with no seams in front and a rectangle seam in middle of back to give extra ease for movement. During the stage of creating the pattern, it was not be possible to rearrange the fabrics in a layering way if the mentioned seam is used to secure the layers as it is. When making the first toile I noticed that it wasn’t a good look if the lapel seam line was on the back. In the first toile was worked out the proportions and length of each front layer .So in the next toiles this issue was solved by moving lapels cut line to the front and putting it to the same level as the front cut on shoulder part. Then these changes were adjusted in the pattern plan and made second toile that was kept as a replica of final garment. This vest is functional with jet pockets which are hidden behind the second front layer. Fabric that was used for the final garment is a dark blue wool blend.
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trousers This look trousers were designed to have casual but the same time smart look. A light grey denim was used for the main part of trousers and a dark grey wool blend was used for details. Contrasting colour detail worked perfectly to emphasis certain parts of the trousers. The sewing process for the pattern of the trousers was a more complex part when it came to layering in terms of acheiving the specific desired look. The decorative detail that is sewn in between the front panels and the back waistband was fused in order to make it more structured. Slightly curved lines gave a nice fluid feeling and the vertical line placement would elongate wearer’s silhouette. When it came to the pockets I used in-seam pockets in the front that keeps garment clean and added minimalism. As for the back pocket I used a jet pocket; the main and decorative layers are sewn together in order to avoid unnecessary movement in the back layer.
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sweatshirt For this look I created a draped-styled shirt; for this as for the rest of the draped shirts, I used a male mannequin size 40. After when the desired design was achieved on 3D, visible marks were left on the toile fabric and was flattened on the table and traced into a 2D pattern. It was then cut out from a mid-weight jersey fabric and by following notes and marks on the fabric, the draping was repeated to make sure that the pattern would worked. This kind of technique took a lot of time because each step that was taken had to be written down, otherwise it was hard to recreate the exact same drapes even if the pattern was correct. In the beginning, the draped shirts were planned to be made from soft cotton but in process this idea changed to jersey fabric. It drapes nicer without having visible sharp break points on the drape. The final garment was made by combining a mid-weight white jersey with a white Indian silk in back details and collar part.
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Coat This coats key details are the pleats on the shoulder area at the front and on the waist line. The pleated panels on the waist line are partly covered by pockets; on the back the pleats continue and reach down to the waistline on each side of back. In the middle of the coat is a rectangular cut-out as part of a design feature. When this design was brought to production the first task was to create a flat pattern. For this coat a basic gents casual jacket block in size 40. was used. The first toile was created with the idea that the pocket was sewn on top of the coat. However, it wasn’t giving the nice clean look I was going for, plus it was getting too bulky to sew. I went back to the 2D pattern and took a second look to make next prototype with more clean lines. The solution was found by ‘sandwiching method’ in which all fabrics are tucked and sewn all together. On the under layer of the pocket is a square cut detail that enables the top side of the layer to be nicely finished and allows the pocket that reaches from the front all the way to the back as one whole detail. The second toile was made following this principle. The other technical twist that was used in this garment production was woven band that was sewn along the shoulder line to avoid stretching. This final coat was made from a grey wool blend, putting more attention to technical details instead of fabric choice.
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trousers For the last look the trousers were made from a dark grey wool blend material with a smarter tailored look than any other trousers from the collection. This design was kept more clean and simplistic but still had small design twists as decorative panels are in front. These trousers were made from a gents basic trouser block size 38. The trousers have in-seam pockets and jet pockets in the back. One of the key details for these trousers is the detail on belt that has the same function as belt loops. The toile was made just to make sure that proportions were right for the front decorative panels.
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sweatshirt Last sweatshirt is in different grey shades and is made from two different materials. The main material is a soft sweatshirt, mid-weight jersey but the panels are of a chunky texture wool fabric. The design is based on panels for this sweatshirt. The only part that was more challenging was to sew the corners of triangular panels: there wasn’t any need to make more than one toile for this garment. The one thing that happened in the final garment was that the overlocker cut bit too deep into the triangular panel so there is continuous line seen on right side of garment. This mistake was not due to the pattern or the construction method but due to the machine used.
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reflection
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In conclusion to this collection I would say that it has been finished in a high standard and achieved to the desired result. There were many challenges that I faced during the process; a lot of the initial ideas changed during the process in making. Different factors affected one another’s decision during the making in process that I have discussed before.
This year as a graduate, I learned how to rely more on my own skills and ideas than the reliance on technicians and lecturers. Icebound menswear collection was challenging because of the limited information and knowledge we have about men’s garment structure and design. All in all I am proud and happy about the quality as well as the end result. If I had to change or improve the given collection, I wouldn’t have relied as much on the universities provided basic block patterns, as the mistake of using said block patterns has cost me an excessive amount of time to amend (due to the given block patterns being from the previous decade, the cutting of the blocks were slightly out-dated). I would first check if there is a problem with the basic pattern block and fix that before I would start to modify it to a more complex design.
I am proud of my collection and I believe that Icebound is something that fashion forward men would want to see in his wardrobe. The main aim is to create conceptual and practical fashion that would not only be trendy but also the ability to convey a deep message. Icebound has it all.
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