PERFECTLY ABLE - Diversity Fashion Project

perfectly able Diversity Project

Murphy Magtoto BA Fashion Heriot-Watt University May 2017

Now is an exciting time to be involved in a creative world where differences and individuality are celebrated more than ever. Fashion has always been a reflection of the current political and social zeitgeist but somehow it always seems to struggle to portray important issues especially when it comes to diversity. ‘Diversity NOW’ is a great way of putting out the voices, opinions and ideas of creatives, interpreting them through design and realising these ideas into garments that people – ALL people could wear.

Customer Profile

Loulou 36 year old TV executive Mother of two Lives in Clapham Former professional dancer Listens to U2, sopp

Martin Garrix and Royk-

Shops in Zara and at Matches.com Likes to mix and match wardrobe with menswear and womenswear Favourite labels are Agi & Sam, Y3 and Isabel Marant

Market Research

BRAND

STYLE/ AESTHETIC

COLOUR PALETTE

Y3

Contemporary Urban Streetwear Minimalist

Monochromatic

OFF-WHITE

Contemporary Urban Streetwear Casual

Varied

ADIDAS by STELLA McCARTNEY

Activewear Sportswear Streetwear

Varied

TARGET MARKET High-End Luxury Womenswear Menswear Genderless High-End Luxury Womenswear Menswear Genderless Higher End of HIgh Street Womenswear

FABRIC QUALITY

PLACE OF MANUFACTURE

High-Tech Varied

EU and China

High-Tech Varied

EU mainly Italy

High Tech Recycled

China

Moodboard

Colour board

Fabric Board

Details Board

Trends Board

Silhouette Board

With the advent of air combat in World War II, pilots needed outerwear that was going to be functional in high-altitude cold weather, while still being streamlined enough to stay out of the way of plane operation. As flight tech advanced, cockpits became more cramped with tech, and planes could fly faster and higher. It’s these details that spurred innovation from leather and fur, to wool and waterproofed nylon (www.ukcomplex.com).

ADIDAS BY STELLA MCCARTNEY McCartney is one of the industry’s most vocal champions of environmental issues and is a strong example of the commercial potential of sustainable, ethically minded businesses. McCartney is also a sought after collaborator. A longterm partnership with the sportswear megabrand Adidas was introduced in September 2004

OFF WHITE Off-White is an independent fashion label headquartered in Milan founded by American designer Virgil Abloh. Abloh is originally from Chicago and is well-known to be the creative director of American rapper Kanye West

Y-3 Yohji Yamamoto Y-3 is one of the brands conceived by the legendary Japanese Designer Yohji Yamamoto. It was launched in collaboration with the German giant sportswear brand Adidas in 1999. He was one of the first designers to cross the divide between high fashion and sportswear with his collaboration with the brand which has been a great success for over a decade (Gonsalves, 2014, www.independent.co.uk)

The concept of this project revolves around the idea that a garment or its parts could be modified to suit the physicality of the wearer. In the case of my subject or target customer, my focus was on the limbs - people with achondroplasia usually have shorter limbs that are disproportionate to the rest of their bodies. In order to achieve this concept, certain mechanisms were considered such as the use of elastics or fabric manipulation such as gatherings and the accordion technique.

The design details for the sleeves of the jacket is derived from the physical appearance common to people with achondroplasia. The idea is to create a mechanism that will enable the wearer to adjust the length of a specific part of the garment, in this case, the sleeves of the jacket.

“The toile is used to work out the proportions, the shoulders, the lengths, etc,” Karl Lagerfeld explains in Episode 1 of my favorite couture documentary Signé Chanel. “If you use the real fabric right away you may not get a good fit. It’s risky, so it’s better to work from a basic structure or pattern that’s discarded when the dress is cut. The toile gives you the proportions and an idea of the finished product, so you can avoid making mistakes.”

Marina von Koenig, www.burdastyle.com

The choice of fabric is crucial to the success of a garment.

I used cotton denim because of its practicality and ease of handling during the sampling and experimentation stages. It is also universally known for its comfort and its ageless appeal to the consumers. For this project, I used denim for the entire jacket, back parts of the trousers and the pocket for the blouse.

It is very satisfying when people appreciate one’s hard work. I was delighted to be chosen as one of the school’s entries for the ‘Diversity Now 2017’ competition being held by Arts Thread in collaboration with All Walks Beyond the Catwalk and i-D magazine. The entire process involved in this project was already exciting but putting it through a competition is taking it into another level of fulfillment.