Fashion Design for Function
Illustrated and written by Rimishha Eejaz 1
What is this course about? “Fashion Design for Function� course aims for students to investigate the use of functional design detail in the design industry through persistent researching, design development and experimenting in construction and production. To realize that functional elements can not only be used by utility -driven brand labels but also by designers who enjoy fusing interesting and unfamiliar placements in an ornamental manner.
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Aims •Developing a commercial collection that balances both sportswear and casualwear features •Gaining knowledge on the main leading brands in sports/casual/athletic wear. •To develop an understanding of using functional detailing for practical use and for design purpose. •Learn more about textiles and fabrics that will fit best for sports/casual apparel. •Learn more skillful way to improve page layouts in computer aided and hand-drawn work.
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We were instructed to create a commercial collection for sports/ casualwear 2015 where functional elements needed to be used in a design and practicality performance aspect . So to start with our project, I drew in inspiration from leading active and outwear brands/designers like Alexander Wang, Raf Simons and Christopher Reaburn .
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I got to examine different placements of detailing and how it connects a collection so well. To observe an unusual placing of functional details can still enhance the visual impact of a garment which can be seen in a contemporary expression.
The practical aspect of designing can vary from fabric, pattern cutting, detailing to color palette. So the outlook of a collection can be using an aspect more than the other but still maintain an aesthetic and capture a sporty/ casual mood well.
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This is my initial Inspiration mood board where I have accumulated pictures and information that help me target my customer better, and choose an inspiration that links me back to the designers who are active in sportswear and still keep my personal aesthetic input. By developing my board, i can focus better on what elements i need to concentrate for the observational experiments which can later help me further develop my final prints and color palette. 6
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Google Maps
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By finalizing my inspiration board, I was able to visualize my final capsule collection better , and capture the mood and style from my observational experimentations.
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I got to explore various textiles that are best suited for sportswear; where most of them contained stretch properties and have a textured 3D surface. This finding allowed me to use a combination of 2 to 3 fabrics for the final collection which can be constructed together well during production.
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While creating a color palette, there was a new understanding on how to balance a certain amount of color in a collection of 7 sets. At the same time, producing a garment that does not expose an unpredictable color as it might be difficult for the consumer to take in. I reflected this learning later on during production; to work with a color palette that’s adaptable and flexible. 19
Inorder to develop my prints, I kept in mind what my inspiration was about. The use of old maps which we used way back to navigate through travel, distance, meeting people and through life. But coming back to this year, how Google Maps has been doing the same work, as technology is growing time by time in the online environment. Hence I decided to combine both of these concepts and create a retro, vintage stylized print that highlights “PINS� from google maps logo in a hidden and concentrated manner.
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By rescaling my final print, I got to look at different variations that could be used in the final collection. But most importantly, what can be most suitable –in term of visuals and identification.
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ILLUSTRATIONS OF SHIRT DRESSES We illustrated numerous shirt dresses to explore functional details, sporty and casual cuts in order to finalize one shirt dress that will go into production. Here we got to take into consideration what was on trend for summer spring 2015 and keep in mind how details in a garment can be utilized in a functional manner but also decorative manner to balance sportswear and casualwear. This is where I got to understand how certain design elements can really fulfill a sports/casual garment and also pull it down easily.
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Design development was done for my final shirt dress to see considerable changes in terms of detailing and the cut lines. This helped me see more clearly, how much proportion is a big part of designing a garment and the negative impact it might have during production e.g. especially for mass producing, it can become costly to reconstruct if the proportion is incorrect which can leave the consumer unsatisfied
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DEVELOPMENT SETS
After illustrating tops, skirts, trousers and other items, outfits were paired up to come up with suitable combinations in 5 sets which have common elements. For a commercial collection, I got to analyze these outfits and make sure that each garment can be cross overed and replaced with another garment in the same collection.
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There was a new learning on how practical and adjustable we need the collection to be in order get the customer on board to buy different pieces and still allow an outfit to be fashioned. This means the collection was efficient and successful in designing and revenue.
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PRODUCTION I went through production after finalizing my shirt dress design. I did not face any major problems in terms of pattern cutting and sewing so the process went very smoothly. But I do regret few of my fabric choices as they were not the best option for my design. This helped me understand how fabric plays a big role in achieving a desired garment. Especially different properties of a fabric can affect the production process, e.g. stitching cotton stretch fabric with a sporty jersey stretch fabric is hard and difficult to align together. This mistake will help me find the appropriate textile better for my next fabric shopping.
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FINAL SHIRT DRESS
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