Nic Giolla Ein Sketchbook
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Research Development
This is how I worked this year, I didn’t really do a sketchbook as I went along as I felt I wanted to get everything off the computer and up on my walls. I thought that if I did a sketchbook it would be the same as having it on the computer and I had spent enough time on it at that stage having spent the whole first term chained to it for the Concept Development. I liked having everything in front of me and then sketching with all the information laid out in front of me. Working in this way has then informed me to do my ‘Sketchbook’ in this computerised format. It works for me.
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Lebbeus Woods
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I really love Woods’ work and was really interested in taking it forwards into my designs, however I felt that these designs were a little forced. I didn’t really feel that they were particularly strong, and a little to obvious. I think the designs were feeding into the whole Lady Gaga fashion that is so prevalent today. I wanted to do something that I believed in and that was not to heavily influenced by what is now but what is going to be the future of fashion.
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Lucy McRae I’m still fixated on Lucy Mc Rae’s work. I love how basic but interesting and creative her work is, and how she makes mundane objects into super intriguing works of body art. Her work is quite whimsical in a way too, it doesn’t take itself too seriously which is something that I value in art and fashion. I feel that it is something to be enjoyed and explored.
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I started playing around with some rubber tubing, applying it to the last and using macramÊ techniques to knot and tie it. I quite liked the look of it but thought that it was a little done, there was nothing that new about it. I really liked the clean lines and angular shapes so that’s something that I will keep, however this particular style not really what I’m trying to achieve.
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I love this picture below, I really just wanna get this feeling and look and make it onto a shoe. I don’t know how I’m going to do it but I really just wanna try and make it work somehow. I thought if I could wrap up my foot it would give me some indication if it would work or not, it kind of looked a little rubbish. I love the lines the tubes make, but obviously the bare foot is not the way to go. It’s definitely going to have to be a closed toe shoe. Still trying to make the lights work somehow, but it’s not going to, haha. I think that the time it would take to make it look good will detract from everything else I have to do, I don’t think it’s going to be worth it in the long run.
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At a design tutorial, Sue picked this out as a strong idea to develop, even though it was the one I spent the least time on. It was just me trying to put on paper some of the infant ideas with the tubes that I had. It was hard for me to think of how it was actually going to be achieved in a realistic way.
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National Space Centre I felt that I needed to explore the primary source of research a little more, so I contacted the National Space Centre in Leicester. They had a number of space suits, some on display and this one featured in their closed collection. It is the same as the one in the Science Museum in London (which features in my Concept Development), however this one was not in a glass case so I had the opportunity to take many detailed photographs which was super useful. Windak Full Pressure Flying Suit that dates from the 1960’s, this particular suit was donated by the Royal Air Force, they used it as part of their high altitude testing during the 1960’s and 70’s.
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The suit had so many interesting details, with a mixture of materials. I liked the hard black rubber against the softer white and mustard cotton. There are a lit of different stitching details in this suit and each seam has three rows of stitching for extra strength as the suit would have been under a lot of pressure when in use, I think it’s a nice detail. I love that there are so many tubes on it, it re-enforces my belief that I need to use tubes in my designs. I also really like the mega chunky zip.
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I really love this ribbed detail. It seems like there are tubes inside the ridges. It is a functional feature, most likely to pump some sort of gas or oxygen round the garment or maybe as a cooling system. I like the very 3d effect of it, it make me wanna touch it, that’s what I want for my shoes, I want people to want to reach out and touch them.
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These sketches are a little bit literal, I like the very functional look for the details, everything on the suit has a purpose. On the lower sketch I like the way the lines at the back are very geometric and sharp. It’s quite simple at the front but it’s all going on in the back. It refers to the image above taken from a Russian space suit at the National Space Centre. I would like to know what it’s purpose is, as I’m sure it would not be there if it had none.
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Above and top left are the fastenings at the ankles and wrists, they are two metal cylinders that fasten tight within one another. I went to the hardware store and found a D. I. Y. version of it, below. It could be an interesting detail for the top a boot or ankle boot. It would need to be big enough for the foot to get through it and also padded enough so that it didn’t scratch or irritate the foot or leg.
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Here are some interesting details that feature in the suit, that could be used in my designs. I found these metal rings in a hardware store, I quite like the basic functionality of them, they may be a little hard to use on a shoe though. I thought it might be nice to make some of the metal details out of leather, as in the A-shaped detail above. They were really hard to cut out, if i was going to use this feature I would have to laser cut them to get a clean line on the inside curve.
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Some more development of the details taken from the suit. I don’t really like these designs, I feel they are a bit awkwardly shaped and not that interesting. Some of it looks a little like something Balenciaga has done before too. I decided to explore different details rather than pursue this any more.
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I quite like this ridged detail I took from the torso of the suit. I trapped a little bit of cord under the leather and then stitched around it. I’m not sure that I like the stitching around it, I think it would be nicer if it was just plugged and not stitched.
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This is a water cooled undergarment from 1966 that I found in the Science Museum. The knitted garment has lots of plastic tubes woven amongst the fibers, through which cool water is pumped to keep the wearer cool. I love the pattern that the tubes make through the garment. It’s quite a natural organic pattern, however it is quite controlled as the tubes have a certain flow path to follow. I like the contrast. In the image to the right, I tried to replicate that effect with some cord and leather. I think it worked well, but did not quite achieve the desired look.
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Yet again the details just don’t translate so well onto the shoes. The designs are pretty generic, and not that interesting. The detail is taken from a Russian space suit at the National Space Centre, it is on the arm of the suit. The designs look a little bit like the hiking boot trend we’ve seen so much of. I like the detail, especially with the plugged section. I can see that plugging is going to be a strong feature in my project.
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I made a sample of the knee cap detail, I really like how the heavy cotton folds and creases and wanted to try and recreate that with leather. I found it a little difficult to integrate it into my designs as I just didn’t think it fitted in with everything else.
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I tried to work a little more with the ruched detail, although it seemed a little more controlled in these designs which kind of defeats the purpose of it. I like the contrast of the soft creased back section against the solid heel on the sketch below. The style to the right has quite a good flow to it as the heel lets the back section crease and crumple into it nicely.
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I tried using the ruched detail of the knee-cap on the actual upper of the shoe, which I think works much better. I really like the natural uncontrolled manner of this style. I think this is a strong shape. I mixed it with the toe-cap detail found on space boots, which I found quite interesting. The last I am using has quite a defined toe line and this works well with the toe detail. Below left are two samples I tried for this detail, plugging again! The first had leather shapes cut out and placed underneath the top layer of leather. The second had a piece of foam underneath and I stitched the lines to define each section. This didn’t really work as well as the former, as it tended to stretch the leather an awful lot, and was not as angular as the other. I prefer the strong outline of the first sample.
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I found the stirrup detail super interesting and wanted to incorporate it into my designs somehow, without it looking like a bondage shoe. I tried to play about with the different placement of the strap and changing the size and angles. I quite liked some of them that have the mixture of the panels and stirrups.
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I quite like the strong lines in these designs, however I feel they are a little half hearted. I think if I’m going to use the tubing it has to be full on and dramatic, not just a little touch. It will have to be the main feature otherwise it won’t work.
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I Love Lucy
I couldn’t get Lucy McRae’s work out of my head, I really love it and am so stuck on it. I kept putting it to the back of my mind as I didn’t really think I could realistically achieve it. However, I can’t stop thinking about how I could incorporate it into my work. I decided to try and mess about with some styles and see how I could use the tubing somehow.
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I tried to develop more designs where I could use the tubing detail in a realistic way. I could use rubber tubing or plastic tubing for these, both of which would give very different silhouettes.
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These designs feature rubber/plastic tubing laced through a metal heel and also stitched into the seam at the back. The only problem with stitching the tubing is that it will pierce through it and if there is any pressure on it, the tubes will come apart. I could possibly neoprene them and make sure not to stitch through them. Although this will not be massively secure either.
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Below are some different methods of plugging the leather. The first one is simply plugged tubing, the second method is the same as the first, but with a stitch around the tubing. In the third sample, I created a slit, with a small hole punched at either end, to ensure it didn’t rip. I then plugged a long piece of tubing though the leather. I think the first one is the most effective, I prefer it without the stitching as it looks a lot more slick. The stitching tends to break up the lines a little too much.
Neither of these designs are particularly strong, there are some details I like. The boot and shoe are a little hiking like which I’m not interested in.
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I quite like the folded detail on the space boot, so thought I would try and incorporate that into my designs by lacing the tubes though the upper and having that accordion effect. I think it looks a little bulky and not really that flattering a shape. It’s kind of been done to death with the hiking boot trend in this past while too. I like the style to the left, I’m interested in the plugging detail and the fact that the tubing is concealed and revealed. I think there may be a little bit too much going on in this style however.
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Final Designs
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Packaging I thought it might be nice to have the exclusive shoes in the range packaged in something a little different, instead of a generic cardboard box. I went on ebay and looked up some vintage/metal boxes and found some like the one featured below. Deed boxes are a similar shape and dimension to a shoe box, and ebay has plenty. I was also looking into the possibility of using a suitcase which would also be nice, but I think it’s a bit too obvious. There are a few R.A.F. cases on ebay which is quite relevant to my project.
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Marketing Material
If I’m going to be having a metal box for the exclusive styles, a paper bag will not be strong enough to hold it and will tear with the sharp edges. Instead it would be better to have a nice leather and canvas bag for these styles. It will add to the expense of the shoes, but it will also add to the luxury and the customer will be able to use the bag for personal use after purchase.
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I created some designs for a paper bag that I would use for the more commercial designs in the collection. The expense of the metal box and canvas/leather bag would be too much to add to the more commercial designs and would make them less accessible to consumers.
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Business Cards It is important that every aspect of the visual branding ties in with one another. The bags, business cards, website and app all need to tell the same story. On the business card I have just used the simple logo and typeface on the back and on the front I have used the logo to reinforce the brand and providing information for the viewer. It is important that the business card be simple and easy to read, yet aesthetically pleasing.
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Photo Shoot
I really wanted to put together a really interesting photo shoot to support the marketing campaign that I wanted to focus on for the brand. These images are quite fun, and lighthearted , and also quite simple. This could be reproduced quite easily in the industrial Liverpool Street area. We could have ‘The Gherkin’ as the back drop, or the Lloyds building.
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It’s important to keep the focus of the shoot on the shoes, if there are too many elements in the shot it can detract from the product. I really like the box image below and the bin one on the opposite page, they are so simple and a bit silly. The sense of humour is something I want to carry through the shoot. It’s important for me to not take everything too seriously.
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These shots are a similar principle to the first set, I quite like the action of them, you kind of get a sense of motion from them.
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I asked my friend to help me with the concept of the shoot, he graduated from Set Design at CSM. We discussed the use of this idea above left, we advanced it a little with the drawings seen. Basically the idea was to strap a wad of foam to the model using duct tape, in a very rough, thrown together kind of way. We wanted to remove the identity of the model, to make her an object and try and shift the focus onto the shoes. We also toyed with the idea of wrapping her up in a duvet. It was all a bit random, which I liked.
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My friend works in the props department at Selfridges, and stumbled across these beauties during his work one day and thought they would be perfect for my shoot. James got me a large clear Perspex dome, a neon light, some Styrofoam balls, a science lab clamp, a light bulb on a cable, some magnifying glasses and a metal grip.
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Here is a brief outline of what way we were planning to position the shoot. The dome was a key feature in the shoot, and it kind of pulled the other pieces together, however the surface of the dome was so badly scratched that it was impossible to use it. In the end we only used the neon light and the clamp. I thought that the shoot went well regardless. We did some product shots, some on the foot and also some with the props, which was really good. It’s good to have a few different styles of the shots.
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E-Marketing Website
The internet is such a massive medium for brands to display their brand and products to the consumer. I have designed a simple website for the brand, to inform the consumer of the brand and the products the brand has to offer. The website should be representative of the brands style, ethos and image, this is why I kept the design quite clean and simple as this an aesthetic that is important to the brand.
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iApp
Technology plays a massive role in reaching customers and interacting with them. With 7.8 million people in the UK along possessing ‘Smart’ phones such as ‘Blackberry’ and ‘iPhone’ brands are increasingly developing their marketing through the medium of technology. The ‘App’ has become the new way to inform the customer about brands and products and is the most effective and efficient way to reach a certain target consumer. Many high street and designer brands have app’s to display their collections and also as a method of selling direct to the consumer, such as Net-A-Porter.
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The iPhone/iPad App has quite a similar look to the website, although it has some definite Apple qualities. It’s important that the app has reconcilable qualities that tie in with the brand so that consumers can relate it to the website and all the other branding. The format is pretty much the same as the website and all the images are exactly the same. The app should basically be a mini version of the webite.
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PPD This year has been, by far, the most enjoyable of the whole BA for me. I have been able to work and develop a product that I feel represents my work at it’s best, and also enjoy being in the college making and working with all my comrades. After the word heavy almost academic first term, I found that I struggled a little bit to get into the more creative side of the coursework in the second term. Although I enjoy both equally, switching between the two was not an easy transition for me. It took me a while to find my feet and I found that very frustrating, which left me doubting my abilities a little. I persevered with the designing and experimenting and was constantly looking for fresh inspiration to fuel my work and in the end managed to find my path. I really enjoyed the whole process from start to finish, it has been a difficult year but the most rewarding also. I feel that the year in industry has really helped to develop my skills, and I have put them to good use over this past year. My placement taught me to manage my time effectively and know my capabilities with regards to timing different jobs. It also developed my computer skills and this has allowed me to complete my project in the manor I have, as I am so familiar with the Adobe suite now. The placement has made me a more focused, confident worker, which has greatly benefited me in this year. In past years I have struggled with the stress of all the work that we have to complete for each project. While on my placement I started going to Kickboxing classes, which I have found to be the most effective way of getting rid of my stress. It’s almost like a drug for me, it totally enhances my mood and makes all my problems seem much easier to overcome. It makes me more focused, helps me sleep better and be able to achieve more in each day, which has really helped me to deal with all the stress and pressure of final year. Undertaking a placement and completing this final year have also helped me to define what it is that I enjoy and what I am good at within the course and workplace. I feel that I am in a better position of understanding what career path would suit me best. I also feel that I have honed my skills in the past few years and have more to offer a prospective employer now. I love the atmosphere at Golden Lane, I think it’s an amazing campus and we are so lucky to have the facilities and expertise there to be able to realize our designs. I have enjoyed the making and the working environment greatly this year and have tried to make the most of it. All in all the final year has been the most rewarding and beneficial to my personal and professional development, and I will sorely miss Golden Lane and all those there, when I graduate.
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