PHOEBE DEWBURY
FASHION COMMUNICATION & PROMOTION PORTFOLIO
FASH20031
SELF PROMOTION BRIEF
Your background and interests: I have been rurally brought up in the heart of Hampshire amongst the countryside. My interests have always been focused around creativity and nature has always been a source of inspiration, I completed a foundation year before university and spent two years in sixth form studying dark room and commercial photography as well as graphic design, which I was originally going to pursue at university. I also spent 5 years at school/sixth form studying Classical Civilization study of the ancient world, a subject which I am still very passionate about. Having travelled around Greece and Italy to aid my studies it provided me with lots of visual inspiration both creatively and academically. Studying Greek and roman literature has given me a broad understanding of their culture and literature but also the subtle but significant impact it has had on our western culture. This is why I am using this knowledge to my advantage and creatively responding to the subject and using it as inspiration for my design recipe. The foundation year I explored styling, photography and a journalistic approach in response to any brief set but also I was able to combine my graphic design skills making my work outcomes mixed media orientated. In my self-promotion brief I would like to continue to explore and develop these mixed media skills. Your skills and strengths Skills: GRAPHIC DESIGN- creating logos and branding imagery on illustrator using variation of fonts and shape, experimenting with linear concepts. Using type to create negative space and incorporating an image into layout aesthetics on Photoshop. (Experience) Styling/VM- good eye for coordinating store layout (HOBBS) into colour and piecing together seasonal outfits according to what’s on trend and what appeals to the target audience of the brand→ Getting into the consumer buying habits and mind-set. When I did my work experience at hunter I helped move around the showroom and this is the first experience I had with vm layout and I really enjoyed the visual hands on aspect of it. Photography –Postproduction → editing on Photoshop. Good at adjusting camera settings accordingly to get effective angles and lighting. My work is /has been mainly commercial. Usually how I like to respond to a brief Is thriough visual mediums. Journalism- running a blog to express my views on the fashion industry discussing important topics that effect the industry EG politics/ brexit. But I also like to discuss what’s trending, Brand campaigns, celebrity endorsement and document my own experiences with fashion for example styling , photography and going to fashion shows.
Strengths: Creative cloud – confident with Photoshop and illustrator Mixed media approach to my visual outcomes, creative mark making processes , my photography , print, graphic design imagery and typeface experimentation can all be merged and layered to look effective. Pagination design layout for magazines I feel I am strong at, With a minimalistic style aesthetic in mind to inspire my graphic design inspired layouts the outcome I feel look professional. Generating links and visual ideas/ concepts. I then translate them into photography, graphics or a journalistic approach. Good at decoding the meaning behind concepts, I therefore like my work to tell a story and have depth. My approach and way of working I respond to briefs by being visual and organising my thoughts by creating mind maps and getting all my ideas down as a method of making links and broadening my thought process. Using pinterest, another magazine, business of fashion etc.… all aid my innovation and creative thoughts as well as magazine layouts and fonts. I then usually want to take photos or create a graphic design based outcome but then I like to discuss the meaning by creating a piece of writing. My inspired ideas will usually come from what I have currently seen in the fashion world whether that be the inspiration behind a collection or an issue in fashion as my starting point. I then will use architecture, minimalism, nature and Greek mythology as areas to look into to help develop creative imagery and outcomes. These areas of interest really give me motivation in my work. Ideas about what kind of job role and / or area of the industry im most interested in: • Fashion photographer • Graphic design • Junior art director • Journalist • Buying • Creative director I have a thirst for knowledge and finding out new things but also I have a good idea on layout concept and imagery. The creative director position appeals to me because it entails lots of jobs (some of the above) and its so broad. For me I have always been involved in the creative process particularly in my foundation year, preparing for a shoot, taking the photos, styling the model , then post production and then writing about it /reviewing it. I have always approached my work in this way and been analytical, which has got me used to addressing all aspects of the creative director role rather then just targeting one area. For me, particularly when in a team, I like to oversee the creative decisions. A more authoritive roll is what I am aiming for within the luxury sector.
My thoughts on the tone of presentation I feel is appropriate for this area In the self-promotion brief it is important for me to explore lots of avenues that creatively link to this job role. I would like to respond and demonstrate my creative skills professionally by creating mixed media based imagery and address the job requirements needed for the role so I can use it as in incentive and platform to point me in the right direction. The tone needs to be minimalist but also incorporate visuals like photography and graphic design elements to make desired the imagery more vivid. The work has to stand out, be authoritive just like the job description. Making a statement and making your work different from the rest. I have to develop my own individual style / creative technique in order to establish myself. Organizing sketchbook so thoughts are cohesive and all elements of the creative process link in some way and chosen colour scheme /concepts to design recipe Ideas for my next steps towards this goal, supported by my selfpromotion •Continue with the blogging, advertising is important to have under the experience of someone who is a creative director. This will be a good reference. Documenting my experiences and knowledge of the fashion world on a blog is a good well-recognised platform to promote my work. •Collaboration- To try and help out in the fashion design department again. Getting involved with more photography. •Creating my own logo / business card using a mixed media approach but also making it look professional, demonstrating lots of types of skills. •Gain industry experience- write to magazines asking to do unpaid articles for their print. At the degree show be part of the committee making the programs / posters. I would be interested in promoting the event. Start to look for Internships/placements for summer. •Look into applying to central St Martins short courses/summer school •Explore into social media / attend the social media future hub workshop. •Scan / Photograph monoprints , letterpress and zine making to add to already existing portfolio and show evidence of experimentation / development. •Need to have about 5-10 years in creative work before I can think about being considered for the role so its important to find experience and make connections to get the appropriate
VISUAL MOODBOARD OWN SKETCHBOOK PAGES
Logo Development
P H O E B E D E W B U R Y
VISUAL COMMUNICATOR
H O E B E D E W B U R
P HC O OM M EU N BI C EA T O DR E W B U R Y
VISUAL COMMUNICATOR
P H O E B E D E W B U R Y
PD
DUE TO MY PASSION FOR SKIING I LAYERED AND EDITED THIS MONOPRINT TO MIMIC AN ABSTRACT TAKE ON MOUNTAINS WHICH ALSO SUBTLY LINKS BACK TO THE ANCIENT WORLD.
Illias WALCHSHOFER
I WAS VISUALLY INSPIRED BY THIS ILLUSTRATIONISTS WORK TO HELP AID MY GREEK MYTHOLOGICAL DESIGNS. I WANTED TO CREATE A MIXED MEDIA BASED OUTCOME USING MY MONOPRINT AND COMBINING MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE ANCIENT WORLD. ADWOA IS A HUGE FEMALE FIGURE PORTRAYING FEMALE EMPOWERMENT AND WITH ATHENA BEING THE GODDESS OF WISDOM AND BATTLE STRATEGY I COULD SEE CORRELATION. ATHENA IS REPRESENTED WITH AN OWL IN THE ANCIENT WORLD SO I DECIDED TO RESPOND TO THE WORK BY LAYERING AN ILLUSTRATION OVER THE TOP.
mock up cv
ILLUSTRATION OF MYSELF FOR SELF PROMO INSPIRED BY MY FINALIZED COLOUR PALLETTE AND SUBTLE ANCIENT INFLUENCES.
WOULD LIKE TO FURTHER DEVELOP MY LOGO AND CHANGE THE CV LAYOUT, AS IT CURRENTLY LOOKS TOO CORPORATE.
FINAL BUISNESS CARD DESIGN
SUMMER PROJECT
A W
THLEISURE
EAR
INSPIRATION BEHIND THE PROJECT I decided to focus my summer project on ‘Athleisure wear’ because as an individual health and sport is important to me and as we had to choose something to obsess over I decided to concentrate on area entirely dedicated to clean eating and this arising new trend ‘Athleisure’ which captured my attention. The trend combines two trends that have dominated American casual clothing — durability and comfort — in a versatile way. When I worked at Topshop, this is wear I came across the trend due to the launch of IVY PARK, by Beyonce, a range of clothing focusing on the ‘Athleisure’ concept. I was briefed and worked the shift where the collection was launched, It was interesting to see the initial hype from the customers and how actually the collection wasn’t that popular and sales slowly declined due to it being expensive for the topshop consumer. I play Lacrosse at university and I was thinking about when I train I wear sports leggings and wear certain athletic wear to the gym, I will never change after the gym and I will make subconscious decisions on what to wear because in order to feel good I want to also look good. Its all part of this identity perception on the high street and through social media we like to convince others that we lead a healthy lifestyle. It was these ideas that inspired my initial research and sparked my interest into the trend itself, and the impact it has had on social identity, lifestyle and simply the way we dress. People ultimately want convenience and low maintence in our every day lives and we seek this in technology so it’s only normal that this is our approach to clothing. I conducted a questionnaire to gather some primary research of peoples opinions on the trend, ‘what designer /high-street brands they associate with the trend’ and would they consider wearing the trend due to its practicality and function in the world of fashion, for those wanting to appear stylish with ready to wear sports aesthetic, and 66% of the 21 people answered that they would. The results were interesting and I had a diverse range of people answering so perhaps I should next time be more specific with who I target. I am interested in journalism so after conducting primary and secondary research I wanted to translate what I had found out into an article expressing my opinion on what I had found. If I had had more time I would of perhaps looked at doing a focus group with the members of my lacrosse team / maybe curating and styling my own photoshoot in response.
summer project outcome: “Athleisure is the new casual,” - Deirdre Clemente, a professor of history at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Business Insider. “Durability of sportswear and the versatility of business casual — put those two things together, and who’s not going to want to buy it?”… Whether you’re a ‘Sweaty Betty’ fan or a throw on a pair of Trackies kind of girl the Athleisure wear trend is appealing more frequently to the younger demographic and is unexpectedly more then just a fad as its slowly making its way into our culture, high street and the workplace. It is becoming the norm that we are dressing down as a society mixing activewear and ready to wear, it’s functional and practical particularly for busy lifestyles but also stylish. However is it just an excuse to become lazier with how you dress? is becoming a ‘yoga bunnie ‘posting pictures of post workout selfies whilst clutching onto a super green smoothie aspirational and motivational ? After reading a captivating article about the colloquial new term of ‘Athleisurewear’ and finding out it was added to the US dictionary and its current position in the market, its interesting how the trend has grown
42% over the past 7 years from its early nineties origin. No one is really sure where the trend has bubbled up from or routed too but nineties brands linking back to the ‘Chav Culture’ such as ‘Champion’ ‘Ellesse’ and ‘Reebok’ have a big part to play in this Instagram led healthy living cult. Sports Brands have particularly have Reaped the benefits of celebrity endorsement led campaigns and collaborations. For example Emma Louise Connolly recently collaborating with Umbro, Made in Chelsea star Lucy Watson bringing out her own sportswear with Puma and Rita Ora / Alexander wang bringing out collections with Adidas, cunningly this attracts social media viewers , encouraging them to invest more of their time and money in the brand identity. Brands such as PUMA with Rihanna or Kanye West have particularly pioneered. To sell out trainers from YEEZY or a new fluffy feet trend stemming from Rihanna’s fenty slides collection it is interesting to see the celebrity influence on social media and the fashion perspective even if it is typically just casualwear. The trend shows no sign of stopping either with it being one of the biggest sources of growth for the high street clothing chains. An exclusive insight into WGSN has reported in S/S18 the overall feel remains luxe with simple and elegant sports shapes that are big on comfort with elements of everyday sportswear the youthful look will indefinitely give the trend an edge with layering in abundance, variations of hem and lightweight knits are key.
The trend has also made its way into luxe fashion online retailer Net a porter who launched a separate site dedicated to Athleticwear cleverly been called ‘Net A Sporter’, the industry is growing furthermore and impacting the online and high-street sales increasingly. Being a Uni Student and knowing how easy it is to roll out of bed and pairing your outfit with an item of leisurely comfort AKA Elle sports leggings then casually making your way to the lecture makes you appear more healthy as well as it being convenient for the late 9ams! Correct however does it give off the impression you are an active individual even when you aren’t? ‘Around half of Britons bought sports clothing for non sports use, according to Mintel research’ Having carried out a survey 66% of people would wear the trend but one response particularly adjacently supports this Mintel quotation ‘Its almost fashionable and cool to go to the gym’ When asked about social media marketing and Instagram trends such as the thigh gap challenge and the ‘Healthy’ (post workout selfie) 100% agreed this could impact and be detrimental on the younger generation. One individual even admitting that they wanted a thigh gap even though it wasn’t something they cared about before seeing it all over social media its not just about the Athleisurewear trend that’s on the rise its how people look and feel in the gym wearing the Activewear and how its then further documented onto social media as
‘evidence to support’ they’re supposedly healthy lifestyle which could be area of concern. Some Admitted that they weren’t fussed with how they looked in the gym ‘ I want to be trendy but it comes at a cost’ and also a respondent explains that they were the sportswear clothing to just merely workout in whilst just under half said they would wear the trend in public. The top three brands that wear chosen in association with active wear where Nike Adidas and Sweaty Betty. Which emulates that people like to spend money on how they look when working out whe taking into consideration the retail prices of Leisure wear. So is there a gym uniform /expectation for when you work out? Some admitted they ‘want to look as good as the models on instagram’ but also use social media to help motivate them and ‘improve performance’. The results where interesting. And with the market on an all time high with generation Z consumer preferences in fashion, retail and healthy eating there is definitely a gap in the market for the Athleisurewear movement. By Phoebe Dewbury,20
zine
promotional links: instagram: linked in
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