CONTENTS R E M E M B E R M E K N OT THE OCULIST VIIK LU N A R NADIA PINKNEY X H&M
R E M E M B E R
M E
K N O T
Focusing on the gradual loss of brain activity and functioning in the isolated world of dementia, this collection is inspired by the traumatic and life changing experience of living with a disease that strips an individual from themselves, their memories and life as they knew it. Concentrating particularly on the effect of this disease on the brain, the collection focuses on the deterioration of mind and memory. The collection explores the fluidity of forgetfulness and the concentrated moments of memories still maintained within the brain. As a designer I feel most inspired by the people I meet and the lives they lead. I experienced my Great Grandmother suffering from Dementia for over ten years. My lack of understanding towards the disease influenced my decision to use Dementia as the concept for this collection. Research into neurological structures has highly influenced the ‘Remember Me Knot’ collection. Dementia Is a Group of Symptoms that affect mental tasks like memory and reasoning. Dementia can be caused by a variety of conditions, the most common of which is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease destroys the structures of the brain, slowly closing down pathways and areas resulting in memory loss and difficulty in verbal communication. The diseased knots and tangled neurons inhibit information being retrieved or retained. Garments are inspired by this deconstruction to transfer the disease into a contemporary collection. The vulnerability of the person suffering from the disease is explored through the use of a transparency within the collection. The disease carries a social stigma as the patient can find it difficult to communicate and often feels exposed and vulnerable in large social groups. This occurs when their memory capacity diminishes over time. Dementia sufferers are often confused and in some instances become very upset with their loss of recent memory recollection. Alzheimer’s can effect each sufferer differently and for this reason some garments within the collection can be worn several ways to reflect the diverse effects of the disease on individuals. The ‘Remember Me Knot’ collection has a feature print influenced by Alzheimer patients brain scans. The print interprets several types of brain scans including MRI, PET, DAT AND CT scans. Although the prints all show different problems and depths within an Alzheimer patient, I combined the scans together to distort the final product. The print is not continuous and has large areas of white space reflecting the missing moments of Alzheimer’s and large areas of concentrated colour. The print has been painted with water colours as this is the medium of choice for dementia sufferers during art therapy sessions. The medium is used for its easy use and fluidity which appeals to the dementia sufferer. Therefore it seemed appropriate to use this material when creating an expressive print for the collection. The collection has a limited colour palette of red, black, white and grey. Red was chosen as a reflection of my Great Grandmother’s personality. It was her favourite colour and most of her indoor and outdoor clothing contained her preferred colour of choice. Red also indicates areas of brain activity in PET scans. The red areas represent fragments of the brain where the disease has not yet been destroyed and where it is functioning normally. For this purpose red has been used as a prominent theme within the collection.
The silhouettes and shapes for the collection are influenced by the time period of my Great Grandmother’s most precious memories - the late 1940s and 1950s. Shapes have been inspired from personal photos supported by secondary research. Personal photo’s revealed more practical garments for daily use which influenced the design development process to create a functional six piece collection. However, secondary research influenced the luxury and elegance within the collection. Silhouettes are clean yet exaggerated, combining details with a 1950s aesthetic and a contemporary style. Triangles are featured in paneling within garments to create a funnel effect replicating a confused to lucid approach. Garments also feature a triangular silhouette reflecting this. The 1950’s were a time period of luxury within fashion which has influenced both style and fabric choice. Fabrics used in the collection include coated cottons, leather, suede, pony skin and merino wool. Texture is highly regarded in the collection as Alzheimer patients often relax and respond to touching different textures. Given that texture and feel was confirmed as a very important aspect of Alzheimer patient relaxation therapy the ‘Remember Me Knot’ collection has interesting tactile fabrics. During this period many woman often made their own garments. The collection features two hand knitted pieces which are influenced by the make your own clothes trend from this time period. These hand knitted garments also appeal to the luxury market to which the collection is targeted.
THE OCULIST This collection was designed for retail at Dover Street Market for Autumn/Winter 16/17. Dover Street Market is well known for stocking innovative, contemporary and fresh fashion to the worlds creatives. The Oculist Collection pulls inspiration from F.Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, The Great Gatsby. This novel is intriguing, with a twisted storyline of false perception, the American dream, our need for urban living and moral decay. The Oculist Collection was also influenced by the use of imagery and symbolism in the writing. This caused the contextualisation from imagery to garment as a highly creative and innovative design process. The silhouettes are a combination of young tailoring and urban street wear to create a contemporary menswear collection. The print featured in the collection is that of Dr T.J Eckleburg’s eyes - an image used in The Great Gatsby as a sign of moral decay in the modern world. Fabric choice also reflects imagery used in the novel. The colour palette is influenced by the metaphorical colours used in the novel. The collection consists of green symbolising the hope of the American Dream, yellow to reflect how nothing is innocent and shades of grey and black which portrays moral decay. The market for this collection are males who have eclectic personal style and aren’t afraid of wearing bold garments. The range of garment styles available in the collection broadens the market segment as a result the collection is targeted at males age 20-45.
“They look out of no face, but, instead, from a pair of enormous yellow spectacles which pass over a nonexistent nose�
VIIK
Viik is a colourful womenswear collection for the mid level designer brand Acne Studios for Spring/Summer 2017. The design process was developed from the WGSN Spring/Summer 17 trend Pause. The trend calls for a period of time to stop, reflect and treasure moments. The trend highlighted that consumers feel a need to discover new and unusual places for holiday destinations. During the last three years Iceland has become a popular tourist destination for visitors from Europe and USA. Having visited Iceland the environment of the country is captured in this collection. Personal photos and drawings have been created into prints. The collection’s interesting silhouettes are also inspired by the SS17 and the iconic silhouettes created by Acne Studios. Classic garments have been recreated into innovative and more youthful pieces. These garments can be easily interchanged and layered emphasising the contemporary styled collection. Volume is explored in several garments of the collection and geometric patchwork panels create innovative outfits allowing for print combinations. The colour palette of muted pinks, grey and dark navy is pulled from the SS17 trend Pause. Even though the colours are contrasting they are cohesive and complement each other working well within the collection The target market for this collection is 18-40 year old females who have individual styles and express themselves with classic silhouettes with innovative patterns, colours and fabric.
LUNAR
The Lunar collection is a golf wear collaboration with Adidas for Spring/Summer 17. Adidas is well known for innovative sportswear and successful collaborations with designers such as Stella McCartney, Mary Katrantzou and Y3. Adidas have a very limited range of golf wear and therefore there is a gap in the brand to expand upon. As a designer collaboration it was fundamental that the collection provided functional and fashion forward pieces for the sport. The concept for this collection derived from researching into the sport itself. It was evident that ease of movement was necessary in the success of the game due to movement needed for a golfers swing. When researching into the coordinates of a golfing swing it became apparent that they were of a similar pattern rotation to the lunar calendar. Further research revealed that golf is the only sport to have been played on the moon. This idea was then developed into a contemporary print for the collection and subsequently became the concept for the collaboration. The silhouette and style of the collection have been inspired by the Spring/Summer 17 trend Digital Wave. The colour palette for the collection is also influenced by this trend. The minimal colour palette of electric blue, yellow,grey and black created a contemporary collection for the Adidas customer. The target market for this collection are males and females aged 16 + who enjoy wearing bold fashionable garments during sport that are comfortable to wear and not restrictive. The garments are constructed to allow free movement with no constraints, something which is vital in the sport and are suitable for amateurs or professionals.
NADIA PINKNEY X H&M
This H&M diffusion line is a re-contextualisation of the collection ‘Remember Me Knot’ for Autumn/Winter 16/17. The adaption of the current theme helped to widen the appeal for the H&M consumer. The diffusion line is a collection influenced by Alzheimers with the aim of raising awareness and funds for the disease. The collection features bold slogans to raise future discussion about the disease and reduce the stigma attached to Alzheimer’s. As Alzheimer’s is becoming an increasing global health issue, the collection is current in its message as well as its designs. The diffusion collection is designed for the H&M DIVIDED range. This range appeals to the younger consumer producing casual garments that are playful and bold. The target consumer is 15+ , with this market in mind more affordable fabrics and designs have been introduced. The diffusion line features a casual, sporty style to appeal to the H&M DIVIDED consumer however it incorporates design aesthetic from the main line. The colour palette for the diffusion collection remains consistent as the main line featuring red, black, grey and white. The limited colour palette will appeal to the H&M DIVIDED consumer and make the collection recognisable, further promoting Alzheimer’s. As the collection’s aim is to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s a percentage of the profit will be donated to the relevant charities to aid further development of research.