Process Analysis Document E19FT Fashion Theory into Practice E19FM Fashion Theory Into Manufacture
H00104634 Rebecca Murray BAFW3 Fashion Womenswear
Project Brief
The inspiration for this collection stems from a variety of research that mixes the old with the new. It combines the elegance of timeless pleatwork with the boldness of modern creative pattern drafting. The garments combine brash geometric shapes with clean lines to create a very different almost futuristic look. Unusual Structured pockets sit alongside carefully pleated skirts and dramatic back details add to the aesthetic look of the garments overall. Inspired by the work of Issey Miyake and Pierre Gardin it showcases the possibility to create something that is both striking yet still wearable and fashionable. Designed for the women in their mid 20s to early 30s who likes to stand out from the crowd with their fashion choices. The garments will fit well in high end department stores among brands such as the Kooples and Sandro as the quality of the pieces have been a focal point throughout the entire design process. Crisp white bases come together with dark navys to create a platform for a collection that dares to combine classic pleating with 3Dimensional Structures. Vibrant yellows give the collection a colourful boost that accentuates the carefully crafted details such as light piping that aids in accentuating the delicate knife pleats seen throughout the collection. To add to the modern look of the pieces, unique micro-organism inspired knitwear tops off the already eccentric collection adding a touch of hand made luxury to the collection as a whole.
Contents: Page:
- Trends S/S 15: Bio-Dynamic - Colour Palette - Vogue Archive Research - Recycling/Sustainable Research & Designer Research - Target Market & Market Research - Fabric & Material Research - Silhouettes & Details - Knitting Experimentation - Initial Collection Line Up & Final Collection Line Up - Manufacturing Process - Final Garment Outcome - Evaluation
2 3 4-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 13-15 15-16 16-17 18 19
Trend S/S 15: Bio-Dynamics To begin my collection research, I looked back at my summer research and the Bio-Dynamic trend for Spring/Summer 2015. I was particularly inspired by the constructions found under the microscope, specifically within micro-organisms. The colours were vibrant and visually interesting and I felt this was an inspiration that could be explored in a variety of ways and a number of disciplines. I found myself most interested in looking at the possibilities within embroidery, knitwear and print work. Each subject field was researched in detail before deciding how I would choose to progress. What I found most interesting was the potential to replicate the structures through knitwear to create some thing a bit different and out of the ordinary.
Colour Palette Another element of this trend I found refreshing was the freedom within the colour palette. The variations within the micro bacterial imagery meant it was easy to choose colours to work with provided I maintained a white base. Too begin with I had a very broad palette hosting a variety of vibrant colour but soon I realised that this would not lead to a successful outcome and I needed to narrow down my choices to a more limited palette. I chose navy to compliment the crisp white base and for details, I chose to look at flashes of a vibrant lemon yellow because I felt it would work well with the white and navy and give the palette more depth.
Vogue Archive Research
To continue my progression within the brief, I looked into Vogue archives for inspiration regarding shape and silhouette. The selection of images I chose ranged from the late 60s to the early 70s, all black and white and with very classic garment choices. The common aesthetic between them was the dark outlines of the silhouettes which gave the appearance of structured geometric shapes. This led me to the idea of architectural linear based shapes, Triangles and parallel lines in particular. I was inspired by the symmetrical shapes created with the parallel lines and this led me to the idea that this might work well with the predicted Bio-Dynamic trend of pleating enabling me to consider this as an option of exploring linear structures further. This tied in well with my own micro-organism inspiration from the trend as it reminded me of the cell like structures and complex lines. It gave me more options to explore various shapes within garment structures.
3
4
Recycling/Sustainable Research & Designer Research
As part of the brief I considered sustainable methods of construction and manufacture and how I could incorporate this within my trend and vogue research. I looked at shibori dyeing methods, recycled beaded embroidery and finally chose to focus on organic and dead-stock fabrics/materials such as thread and yarn. This fitted in with the concept of working on knitwear which led me to research dead-stock in more detail. The inspiration for this form of sustainability came from designer research of companies currently working in this sustainable area of fashion design. Amanda Henderson in particular influenced the idea for recyclable yarns as she uses only organic wools and yarn in her work but still manages to create intricate pieces of work. Another sustainable designer who I feel also aided in influencing the more structured possibilities of dead-stock in eco fashion design is Hellen Van Rees whose designs focus on 3D shapes that protrude from the garment but are made from fully recycled elements.
6
Target Market & Market Research To determine my target market level, I considered the brief as well as what I felt worked with my design ideas. I decided on women in their mid to late 20s who don’t buy into fast fashion and choose quality over trends but still like to stand out from the crowd with something stylish but different. They enjoy intricate details and bold structures and have a high disposable income to be able to afford well made pieces. For market research, I looked into High End Brands often seen in department stores such as Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser. Looking at brands such as The Kooples and Sandro, I considered the construction, in particular hems and seam-work. I found mixture of results from open seams to French seams to hand over casting and this depended on the material being worked with. This research will help me ensure I consider these choices before manufacturing my own garments. I decided these high end construction techniques would best fit my own target market level and would attract the kind of clients I would be aiming towards.
7
Fabric & Material Research
After researching the target market for my garments, I chose to investigate my fabrics in more depth so that I could meet the equirements of the high end designer industry. For example, for structure I considered stiff fabrics that would give me the stiffness I needed without having to fuse everything. This led me to decide on 100% Cotton Drill and a lighter Laminated Linen for areas of the garments that would not be weighed down with complicated compositions. The yarns chosen for knitwear are recycled cotton and sari silk as the unpredictable variation within the make up of the yarns tie in well with the varied coloured palette from my trend research.
10
Silhouettes & Details I wanted to again look to my vogue research and incorporate more geometric shapes, this time choosing to base my silhouettes and shapes on triangles. I looked into structured garments created by designers such as Issey Miyake for inspiration. This led to the consideration of heavily structured pockets and shoulder as well as back details created in very three dimensional pattern cutting methods. Pierre Cardin was also one of the main inspirations behind the structures I explored in my research. I see how his space age highly structured designs can be easily related to the bio-dynamic trend and inspire me to make my own pattern work more complex in order to make more of a statement. The main details to be incorporated in my design concept are pleating and piping. This stemmed from my architectural ideas taken from my vogue research. Both are very linear design concepts that give me the option to work in detail and add to the quality of my final design work. I experimented with a variety of pleating styles but preferred knife pleats over others. I settled on 5mm pleats but found the process hard to perfect - for example, not stretching the fabric when pressing and ending up with uneven pleats. To rectify this I looked into having these pleats professionally done but found the costing for the process out of my price zone and chose to instead increase the pleat width to enable me to finish the pleating myself. For piping, I investigated creating my own as I found the colours within my chosen colour palette difficult to locate from retailers.
11
12
Knitting Experimentation Knitted garments I found required thorough experimentation. Working on a range of standard to chunky gauge machines I tried several methods to determine what I felt worked best in conveying my micro-organism inspiration. I found lace holes combined with independent knitting to be the most successful as it allowed me to vary the design, replicating the constant changes found under the microscope. The process was very complex and I decided for time that it would be best to focus on designing and manufacturing my main garments first.
13
14
Initial Collection Line Up
Initial designs included shibori dyeing techniques with a vibrant mixed colour palette as well as the complex structures and knitwear pieces. It became clear immediately that there was too much going on and the collection needed to be refined. I went back to my initial idea of a set colour palette with three basic colours and decided to remove the idea of shibori dyeing. Since I already had one sustainable technique within the knitwear, I felt the shibori was not needed.
Final Collection Line Up
The new concept was focussed mainly around the structure of the garments. It incorporated high end design features such as pleating and the minimal colour palette made the more structured details stand out and become the defining design feature. The garment I chose to make was a pleated front top with a structured back and trousers with pleated details and structured pockets. These garments were chosen as they presented challenging sewing methods I was interested in pursuing and I felt the outfit as a whole summed up my design concept best.
Manufacturing Process
I researched the majority of all pattern construction aspects before beginning my pattern drafting process, I wanted to make the most of the short time we had to perfect our toiles before beginning to manufacture our garments. The only problem found in the beginning was learning to cut on the bias so that I would be able to create my own piping details and remembering to sew more into the garment that actually needed as from practice I found that the curve in the pattern pieces shortened the piping length when sewing. The main complications came within the finishing as I had to make sure I was constantly working to a high end standard but I felt I addressed all problems efficiently. The back of the trousers had to be over-locked before pleating to prevent unravelling which then had to be pressed and top-stitched down. This was all to create a nicer finish and a more linear silhouette but the heavy cotton drill combined with pleating and cuffs made the garments seams bulky leaving the only finishing option open seams.
17
I used the same material for the pleating in the top and found it stretched very easily so for the back pleating I experimented instead with paper pattern work on the stand which I then translated into pattern pieces. I found this worked well up to a point when I realised I wasn’t achieving the silhouette I wanted. I stiffened these pieces with woven fusible interfacing and lined the entire top as I felt this provided the nicest and cleanest finish and gave the back the structure I desired.
17
Final Garment Outcome
19
20
Evaluation
The final two finished garments replicate the design well and are a good realisation from paper to garment. They encapsulate my design concept well and incorporate all the desired elements of my research that I wanted to showcase. I feel it has been finished to a high standard despite some sections having been completed on a domestic machine rather than an industrial. I found that when working with white fabric that the industrial machines sometimes left yellow oil marks which was unavoidable but would put me off working with white in the future. One thing I would re-consider if I was to go back and work on the project again would be the fabric choice such as when creating more than one manufacturing technique at a seam as it became too bulky so a thinner fabric would have been more appropriate. The top itself was also very heavy and so it did pull down the back more than I expected so I regret not considering the addition of shoulder pads. As a fashion designer and not a textile designer I found I underestimated the time gone into a fully fashioned knitted garment. Even when further consideration was given to the design it still proved complicated and too long a process within the time restrictions and I felt it was important to finish my base garments first.
21
Final Word Count: 1877
Bibliography Image & Research References: MakG, (2013), Yellow Mushrooms [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/health-benefits-of-mushrooms/ [Accessed 12 November 14]. Christopher Thomond, (2012), Fabric Shop [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/sep/02/ fair-trade-sari-ethical-living-lucy-siegle [Accessed 20 November 14]. Unknown, (2014), Microscopic View [ONLINE]. Available at: http://gloflow.com/images/thumbnails/0aee61eb46c8e23ca67f775767837118_thumb_large.jpeg [Accessed 20 November 14]. Kamila Gawronska, (2014), Pleated Dress [ONLINE]. Available at: http://kamilagawronska.com/#!/en/page/collection/Du-campaign [Accessed 25 November 14]. Simon Page, (2009), Colourful Universe [ONLINE]. Available at: http://simoncpage.co.uk/blog/2009/06/colourful-universe-posters-part-1/ [Accessed 03 December 14]. Vogue, (2013), Vogue Street Style [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.vogue.com/fashion/street-style/ [Accessed 03 December 14]. Robin Broadbent, (2012), Bubble Repeat [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.robinbroadbent.com/div/home/model/portfolioone2/p/13/c/-1/ [Accessed 03 December 14]. Tatiana Plakhova, (2014), Bio Pattern [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.complexitygraphics.com/BIO-Patterns [Accessed 01 December 14]. Justyna Fijalska, (2014), Karate Sweater [ONLINE]. Available at: http://amandahendersonknits.com/portfolio/nessa-sweater/ [Accessed 26 November 14]. Unknown, (2014), 70’s Black and White [ONLINE]. Available at: http://myles-world.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/helmut%20newton [Accessed 24 November 14]. Schoch Werner, (2007), Microscopic Wood [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.woodanatomy.ch/ [Accessed 19 November 14]. Peter Gaudiano, (2009), Toyo Ito [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.coroflot.com/CharlottaMattsson/Toyo-Ito [Accessed 16 November 14]. Pierre Cardin, (1988), Pierre Cardin Design [ONLINE]. Available at: http://manequim.abril.com.br/blogs/noticias-da-redacao/tag/exposicao/ [Accessed 16 November 14]. Christopher Moore, (2014), Hellen van Rees, Scrap Yarn [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.l99.com/EditText_view.action?textId=559384 [Accessed 17 November 14]. Sandro, (2011), Lookbook [ONLINE]. Available at: http://fr.sandro-paris.com/fr/lookbook/lookbook.html?sfid=lbHommeAH13 [Accessed 08 December 14]. Vogue, (1962), Sealskin Jacket [ONLINE]. Available at: http://www.vogue.com/archive/ [Accessed 11 November 14]. Book References: Brown, S, 2010. Eco Fashion. 1st ed. London: Laurence King . Szkutnicka, B, 2010. Technical Drawing for Fashion. 1st ed. London: Laurence King . Giannangeli, B, 2012. Couture Unfolded. 2nd ed. Barcelona, Spain: Promopress.