Index *About *Loss & Balance *Breadth in the Width
P e r s o n a l
I n f o r m a t i o n
Priscillia Okpan Nigerian priscilliaokpan@gmail.com Fashion & Design B.A. Heriot Watt University Kim Dave Videos @kimdavedesigns KimDaveDesigns
I’m a 26 years old Nigerian fashion major based in London. Positive, tenacious and passionate are amongst some words my close friends & family would describe me by. I made my switch to fashion from a science background four years ago and it has been a journey of continuous learning from challenges encountered. I enjoy creating designs that push my creative limit. It excites me to make fashion has a simple design concept with a clever twist. I relish working with fabrics to express design ideas. My recent obsession is the drawstring. I have experimented with drawstrings on different parts of garments, in varying scales and diverse fabrics. This detail gives me the freedom to alter the scale and form of garments because of the option of ta king-away with the string/cord present in a drawstring. Through my design, I mix contemporary garment construction with traditional pattern-cutting technique to produce fresh eccentric fashion for women. Creative writing and digital content creation are off-shoot of fashion that I have fallen in love with in recent years. These non-verbal languages help to balance out my ‘busy’ mind.
D e s i g n
S t a t e m e n t
The driving force behind this project is the goal of creating fashion for all. As encompassing as fashion as a means of expression might seem, not everyone is catered to. Some of us get boxed into a class that is forgotten, marginalized and given the residue of what’s left of the fashion industry. When I was given the freedom to choose what diverse sector of fashion to address, I narrowed the many options to disability especially women confined to wheelchairs as a result of spinal or leg paralysis. A major consideration I had to always have in mind is the change in the shape of the body once it assumes a ‘seated’ position.
Folded elbows, bent knees, arched backs and shorter torsos. Aside these obvious anatomical differences, the importance of accessibility and adaptability in the design process was unavoidable. These details were of high priority because of my customer’s limited ability to dress herself. I experimented with the positioning of garment fastenings such as zips, drawstrings and elastic bands to create an outcome that is functional, fashion forward but still easy to wear. To harmonize my designs with its purpose and stay true to a modern aesthetic, I drew silhouette inspiration from the Jellyfish. The round nature of this animal resembles a blown balloon and its tentacles which it uses to swim freely can be compared to the rods in the wheel of a wheelchair, which provides a mobility for a disabled person.
Loss & Balance
Customer Profile Age ; 21 - 45 years Occupation ; Fashion creative, artisitic professional Income ; £30,000 upwards per annum Nationality ; Non-specific Cause of paralysis ; Accident, illnesses, natural cause e.t.t Hobbies; Board games, watching TV, social media and photography. She enjoys contemporary art in the form of dance, music and installations. She likes to visit the Tate Morden, Saatchi gallery and the Barbican in company of her sister Lucy. She is an avid music lover as well. Once a year, she treats herself with a trip to see her favourite artists perform at the O2. She says ‘Music is a universal language that doesn’t discriminate anyone’.
C o m p e t i t i o r s
Rick Owens
Raf Simmons
Stella McCartney for Adidas
Market
Contemporary, Designer
Customer
Young adult confined to wheelchair
Price
Luxury, upper market
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W i d t h
Design Concept In light of the previous project, my fascination with drawstrings grew even more. The source of my obsession with drawstrings can be traced back to Grace and Mabel project in the first semester of my third year. Drawstrings give me the freedom of experimenting with volume, form and proportion in different parts of garments. To keep this project fresh and exciting, I developed a series of fabrics samples. I introduced shapes from my primary research on the flat surface of fabrics and created circular channels on the surface of the fabrics. Through these channels, I passed a string of cord and ended up with a circular drawstring that could be reeled-in or left loose. On some samples, I cut away the middle piece, on others I layered another fabric beneath. This play on shape and textures became my focal point for this project. Volume is an obvious element visible in this project. I researched possible trends that I could connect to my designs and the oversize trend was the best choice. It is contemporary and gives me the opportunity to play with proportions using the drawstring. I looked into several collections from recent catwalk shows and found some good ones which I used as references in my folder and sketchbook. Amongst these, I found Rick Owens 2017 collections had a lot of oversize and padded details. He exaggerated sleeves, shoulders and layered garments to create volume that looked like it was consuming the models. His choice and mix of fabrics of textures also made the collections interesting and aesthetically pleasing. I decided to work with the round silhouette, especially on the sleeves of my garments. This silhouette is inspired by the round nature of the Jellyfish. I was influenced by this sea creature for my previous project, Diversity. The round silhouette is a modern element incorporated by many designers in the last few years. Technically, this challenges traditional garment especially when it comes to pattern making.
Ideal Customer Profile Age ; Non-specific. Income ; ÂŁ40,000 - ÂŁ75,000 per annum. Nationality ; Non-specific. Occupation ; Fashion PR. Interests ; Exclusive exhibitions and modern art. Favourite designers ; Rick Owens, Junya Watanabe and Yohji Yamamoto. Style ; Dark, edgy and contemporary. She frequents high profile art and fashion events in which she likes to stand out from the crowd. Comfortable and unique with a clever twist are key features she looks for in clothing. She prefers to go into the shops to try on garments before purchasing them. Her wardrobe is a mix of various colours but she likes to wear neutral tones such as greys and blacks . In a bid to keep her wardrobe fresh and up to date, she is always on the look for new designers with alternative design aesthetics.
Alex Mullins
Rick O
Rick Ow
C o m p e t i t i o r s
Owens
wens
Moto Guo
Designers
Market level
Nationality Online Presence British
Fabebook, Instagram and Tumblr
Stockist Location
Fabrics Used Most
Muto Guo
Luxury
Malaysian
Instagram and Facebook
China, Mexico, Malaysia and U.S.A
Gingham, jersey, suede, cotton, mesh
Rick Owens
Luxury
American
Instagram, YouTube, Tumblr and Facebook
U.K., U.S.A and Leather, jersey, Asia wool, chiffon, fur
Alex Mullins
Contemporary designer
London, Milan, Cotton, denim, China, Tokyo suede, wool, silk, and U.S.A. fur, organza
Table 1 showing competitors, their market level, country of origin, online presence, stockist location and fabrics used the most.
Designers
Top
Trouser
Jacket
Dress
Shorts
Alex Mullins
£100
£300
£590
-
£275
Muto Guo
£300
£600
£1,500
£500
£350
Rick Owens
£500
£750
£3,000
£1,500
-
Table 2 showing price comparism for chosen competitors
Mood
Textures
Silhouette
Details
Fabric Board Black Taffeta. £3 per metre. Shepherd’s Bush Market Black Organza. £1.99 per metre. Shepherd’s Bush Market Black Ribbed Jersey. £4 per metre. Shepherd’s Bush Market Black Jersey Knit. £10 per metre. Shepherd’s Bush Market *In addition to these fabrics, I used black neoprene. I changed my second outfit jacket material from the black jersey knit shown above because the fabric didn’t work well with the other looks.
Colour
Breadth in The Width
A/W 18
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