FASHION DESIGN Utkantha Chugh
Utkantha Chugh is a Bangalore based Fashion Designer. She has completed her undergraduate degree from IIAD, New Delhi in 2019. She has a work experience of 7 months at DBS Lifestyle as an Assistant Designer and Industry Internships during her college tenure. She has knowledge of product development and research methods. Her other interests include creative writing and technical drawings. She is a fast learner with good communication skills. The idea of primary and secondary research fascinates her. She has a sense of responsibility and can willingly take ownership of the tasks performed and her thought process as well. She is hard working, precise & creative who is willing to work with like-minded professionals as a learner and performer in the Fashion Design includes her projects, viewpoints and experiences. It also provides an insight into her personality and the process that directs to her objective.
1.INTERNSHIP As a part of our curriculum, we were supposed to attempt an Industrial Internship. For the same, I interned with Madura Fashion and Retail under Allen Solly Womenswear Department. I witnessed a major part of the design and production process and understood that, there is a very elaborate process behind the making of a garment. I also worked on various projects which were research based, made CADS and got 55 samples of garments developed for the brand which could be a part of the Block Library. Through this internship, got clarity on the functioning of organised sector. I was also a part of the Trade Show which is one of the major events that take place before a Season Launch.
Related Links: https://www.allensolly.com http://www.abfrl.com www.allensolly.com an initiative of Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, a division of Aditya Birla Fashion and Lifestyle is India’s largest and fastest growing branded apparel companies and a premium lifestyle player in the retail sector. After consolidating its market leadership with its own brands, it introduced premier international labels, enabling Indian consumers to buy the most prestigious global fashionwear and accessories within the country. The company’s brand portfolio includes product lines that range from affordable and mass-market to luxurious, high-end brands — Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Peter England — that personify style, attitude, luxury and comfort. don’s mono-brand retail in India. work, in the fast-fashion segment in India. To expand its international portfolio, ABFRL entered into exclusive partnerships with two of UK’s most successful fashion
Allen Solly Junior has peppy, colourful and casual merchandise. Solly Jeans is more about casuals led by Denims and Graphic Tees for an off-duty roster. The signature collection is led by Shirts and Trousers. Work Appropriate casuals being their current USP. chandise for 9 to 5. Solly Sport is sports inpired clothing mainly coming from The Wimbledon Champions comprising of Polo T-shirts,Shorts, Shirts and Jackets.
PRODUCT RANGE WOMEN
MEN
TOP WEAR
TOP WEAR
Shirts & Blouses Tops & Tees Dresses Sweaters & Cardigans Suits & Blazers Jackets & Overcoats Tunics Sweatshirts
Shirts T-Shirts Suits & Blazers Jackets Sweatshirts Sweaters
BOTTOM WEAR
BOTTOM WEAR Trousers & Leggings Jeans & Jeggings Shirts & Capris Skirts
GIRLS Frocks Tops, Tees & Blouses Bottoms & Leggings Skirts & Skorts Winter Wear Shorts & Capris
Plus
ACCESSORIES & FOOTWEAR
Trousers Chinos Jeans Shorts
MIXED Active wear Innerwear
BOYS Shirts & Tees Shorts & Bermudas Bottoms Winter Wear
TIMELINE: Season Launch End of Season Sale JANUARY
JULY
FEBRUARY
AUGUST
MARCH
SEPTEMBER
APRIL
MAY
End of Season Sale JUNE
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER End of Season Sale
End of Season Sale
TIMELINE: Closure to Market (CTM) Concept & Design
Production
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
Concept & Design
Production
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
In stores by APRIL end
In stores by OCTOBER end
TIMELINE: E-Comm Capsule JANUARY
FEBRUARY
JULY
AUGUST
MARCH
SEPTEMBER
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Every month 30 PCS 90 Day Cycle Price Point: LOWER Target Customers: Youth
DESIGN PROCESS FLOW From Concept to Season Launch
KEY DEPARTMENTS • Design Team
• Concept: Begins with a brainstorming session
• Product Team
followed by a concept presentation
• Sourcing
• Product team give a merchandise brief to the
• Retail Buyers
design team.
• Departments Store Buyers
• Merchandise archi: Silhouettes, Details, Sleeves,
• Marketing
Prints, Solids
• Tech Team
• Range Creation
• Visual Merchandising
• Fabric Indenting
DEPARTMENTS
• Techpacking • Vendor visit- Techpack Handover • Proto samples review • Final salesman Sample: SMS • Costing: Product Team • Trade Show • BCDS: Brand Commercial Design and Sourcing • FINAL PRODUCTION: All stake holder meeting • Order release • Pre-Production goldseal • Production and Shipment • Store setup and season launch
• Business Strategy & Planning and Budgeting
• Design & new Product Development • Merchandise & Product Management • Plannig, Forecasting, Buying & Review
• Sourcing • Manufacturing • Warehousing and Logistics • Retail Management • Wholesale Management • Consumer, Engagement & Marketing
PROJECT ONE:
CADS
BRIEF: In a retail space, it is not necessary that all the designs come through illustrations or sketches. Moreover, it is inspired by research and inspiration picture. Pros of CADS: Design: Clarity Increases Productivity Better Documentation
PROJECT TWO:
RESEARCH
TWOpointONE: Competition Benchmark BRIEF: The whole idea of the brief was to understand Solly as a brand and where it stands as compared to its competitors. Also to come up with key areas for scope of improvement. Deliverables: Primary research in the form of a presentation on brands like: Vero Moda, Only, Van Heusen, Zara, Lifestyle, Mango, Westside inhouse brands Key points of differentiation: Key Trends, Key Fabrics, Silhouettes, Client, Merchandise
TWOpointTWO: Product Positioning BRIEF: A project based on primary and secondary research. ly its blends. Within the competitors I studied a few brands: Blends, Silhouette and the price. This research was for the womenswear market knowledge at that point of time After pitching it all together in the form of a grid, helped Solly understand where they stood.
TWOpointTHREE: Consumer Study BRIEF: Conducted a short survey across the stores of Allen Solly and nearby areas. Questions included: What do you think is the AGE and OCCUPATION of AS-WW customer? Five words that describe AS-WW What is the one thing you like about AS-WW product at the moment? What is the one thing you would change in AS-WW product?
PROJECT THREE:
BRANDING
BRIEF: Inspired from the Hiroku embroideries i.e. Japanese embroider, Hiroku Kubota who works with embroideries of animals portraying little story. Works on details like placket, pockets and side seams. Similarly, I tried to use the logo of Allen Solly into details. Explored on various details and got samples developed.
RESEARCH Reason behind the logo: Why STAG? In honour of the roots. Nottingham, ENGLAND : City of Stags
Getting inspired from the Hiroku Embroiders of Japan, I initated the process of using the Solly logo in design development.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
Ideated on details like: Collars, Cuffs, Pockets, Side seams Narrowed down to Cuffs and Collars Explored more on techniques possible Landed up on embroidery as the technique Got strike offs ready Further got samples developed of cuffs. Reviewed and got the changes done. Note: Design Development included developments which were initially hand sketched and later worked upon more
DEVELOPMENTS WITH TECHPACKS AND STRIKEOFFS
• Explored with different styles of cuffs and tried to build stories with the stag.
• Tried to balance the embroidery via monotones, to give it a classic look.
• Understood scale from various aspect through the process. • Worked with combination of fabrics that added to the aesthetic of the cuff.
PROJECT FOUR:
TRADE SHOW
BRIEF: Trade show was more of an experience. The idea behind was to understand how orders get placed for the production. TRADE SHOW: Space for business deals. Range is displayed to various channels like: EBO: Exclusive brand outlets Department Stores: Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Central E-com: Flipkart, Myntra Trade: Franchisers, Multi brand outlets Receive orders on displayed styles and place orders for production for the season. I assisted the team in sales and helped in communication(making tags). Attempted design development for the same and got them printed. One of the major learnings were funtioning of the product team. There is an ellaborate collaboration between the Product and the Design team which act as the major pillars for an apparel brand to function.
PROJECT FIVE:
GOLDSEAL LIBRARY
BRIEF: This was the major project for the internship. It involved secondary research of international brands through a document. The whole idea was to get the essence of the brands also the ratio of their workwear, casual and occasion wear dresses. This research helped me understand the ratio I had to chose for creating a balanced capsule of dresses. After the research, picked up some styles and tried to take them forward making changes wherever needed. Also, came up with various styles of my own. RESEARCH Started off with research of kinds of dresses a. Skimmed through the list of brands provided. Later, tried to understand the essence of these brands,( Prints, Silhouettes, Solids etc) On the basis of same, listed down the proportion I wanted these styles to be developed. Through this project I witnessed the sampling process including the paperwork. SAMPLING PROCESS: >Handover of tech packs >Measurement discussion and fabric allotment >Other information simultaneously gets added >Pattern making >Hand over of patterns to the master >Garment is developed >Reviewed by the quality department >Sent to the brand
55 Garment samples developed for their upcoming collections
Design Direction in reference to my observation of the brand.
INDUSTRY INTER-FACING ACADEMIC PROJECTS
CRAFT INTERNSHIP: Collaboration with Fabindia: Fabindia is India’s largest private platform for products that are made from traditional techniques, skills and hand-based processes. Further we translated the visuals and explorations into Design Development which was later reviewed by Fabindia from the point of view of mass production.
The project called “Discovering Denim” begun with visit to Arvind Denim Mills(AHM) & Gondal where we looked at Industrial Denim, Selvage Denim & Khadi Denim respectively. Followed by a client oriented project wherein we were our own clients and had to keep our preferences in consideration and design a garment. Plus, opening our minds towards various possibilities of denim as a surface or products. In order to understand the global denim market, we did a thorough brand research on Off-white, Re/Done, Nudie, JohnBull, Vetements, Denham and Kapital.
on connecting with oneself at an emotional level and weaving design stories while working on a project for better results. One of the major deliverables of the module was a Little Black Dress and a smaller project titiled “The Bra Project”.
INDUSTRY PARTNERS COLLABORATIONS Q&A
It is never a bad idea to work within a context. As a matter of fact, in the industry, there is a certain brief which drives the
I believe that my learnings through this internship were not only in terms of technique but also application of any possible detail to its intricate best.Also, I learnt about the working conditons of Craft Clusters of India. Witnessed Indigenous Techniques and Vernacular Architecture of KONRA.
Q.3 Whats the most captivating part about “The Denim Project� ? The project was divided in three parts which helped better in the exploration and understanding of denim,not just as a fabric but as a surface and a product too. The visit to Arvind Mills helped in better understanding of denim washes and the making of denim from scratch. Exposures through the origin, adds to the primary research which stays with one throughout.
It is said, with a closed mind, one restricts learning. Over these years we develop certain walls(society being one of the reasons), there is always an urgent need to break these walls and step out of them, in order to be more vocal and being able articulate things in a more presenatable way. This process of stepping out, leads to various revealations
2. CRAFT INTERNSHIP After knowing about indigenous textiles, clothing traditions and local identities, this client oriented yet exploratory project gets a primary inspiration leading to further developments with a better understanding to keep balance between the crafts and production bit.
ABOUT BARMER
EXPLORATIONS
Barmer: District in Rajasthan state of India.
I learnt hand stitches, mirror work, reinforcements and joineries. My inspiration being the ceiling and roofs helped me create a few samples. Interpreted the lines as different stitches with uneven patches below and a base.
Located: Western art of Rajasthan forming a part of the Thar Desert. In the North: Jaisalmer East: Jodhpur West: Pakistan South: Jalore Barmer has a desert climate. There is virtually no rainfall during the year. This location -
RELATED TERMS
Edge Finishes Mirror Work
Using this technique, Women
Different from patchwork Joineries Continuity
Running Stitches Upcycle
Patiala silk patches stitched together to form the surface, couching at the edges.
GUDRI Gudri emerged to minimise the expenditure of raw materials to make fabrics, reduce waste and build the community. This fabric converted into ing is also an important element of gudri.
Layering
Mirror work with Wool and Dori.
taking leadership of their colour palette and other design related decisions.
COLLARS AND CUFFS MADE OF PATCHWORK AND RUNNING STITCHES.
Joinery plays an equally important role as comparedto the running stitch, connecting different peices in order to bring the essence of gudri. Since gudri involves patches and therefore joineries add to the aesthetic. Developed joinery using mirrors and blanket stitches. This joinery has been used in range. Later, I made some samples in the form of collars and cuffs.
INSPIRATION BOARD The houses of konra inspired me. I loved the fact how houses and roofs took the shape with the help of layering. I associated these grids with the patchwork also I have to tried to transtlate the linearity in form of Kantha Stitches. Explorations are inspired from the ceilings(inner) of this house. Derived Colour Story(right)
DESIGN DEVELOPEMT
MUSLIN FIT
A- LINE kurta with a Band Collar
COLOUR ITERATIONS
Patchwork yoke and pocket Kantha Stitch Detail using an ombre thread
FRONT
BACK
FINAL GARMENT
TUNIC
KURTA
Bell sleeve Raglan Sleeve Joinery with Mirror and Blanket Stitch Detail
Yoke Length: 9� Pocket Dimension: Band Collar A- Line Detail: Patchwork & Kantha Stitch
TOP Boat Neck Sleeveless Pintucks using kantha stitch
DRESS V- Neck Sleeveless Patchwork with kantha stitch detail
RANGE PLAN
FEATURING GUDRI
LOOK BOOK
3. THE DENIM PROJECT The Denim Project is a Client Oriented Project wherein, I am my own client. The process started off with
understanding the basics about myself from my DILO to my preferences and then leading to further design developments. The project was initially driven by Primary and Secondry Research on DENIM. ABOUT all wear denim, we practically live in it. In this project we started our journey of understanding denim from Delhi and did our primary research in Ahmedabad and Gondal. We also visited Calico Museum, which was more of an experience: One enters in the greens and comes across ochres, reds and maroons and exits with an enduring visual experience. This project was categorised into three major parts: FIRST: Primary and Secondary research on Denim (Including the trip) SECOND: Ripped denim garments that were no longer in use, created a composition resulting into a surface that could be reused in various ways. THIRD: Designed a Garment
CLIENT PROFILE NAME: Utkantha Chugh GENDER: Female
LOCATION: New Delhi OCCUPATION: College Student HOBBIES/ INTERESTS: Sketching, Photography, Writing, Public Speaking MUSIC INTERESTS: Ed Sheeran, The Piano Guys, Coldplay, Owl City, Orchestra MAJOR MUSE: Pantone, Lights, Stripes STYLE: Simple, Preppy, Elegant SHOPS AT: Only, Westside, Vero Moda, Jack n Jones, Flying
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT-I Started design development with the idea of dropped shoulders, patchwork and panelling on the same silhouette.
Design Development- II DESIGN REALISATION
Muslin Fit:Worked out variations of panel proportions and enabling movement.
Understood the intricacy and complexity of the previous developments and further iterated on simple panels that could be executed in monotones. Worked with vertical panels on shoulders, hemlines, silhouette.
ABOUT THE GARMENT: Used Panelling as a technique with monotones Casual Wear TOP Can be styled with Basic Skirt/ Trousers. Eight Panels in total Dropped Shoulder V-Neckline Edge Finish(Sleeve): Selvage
Fabric Swatches for the Final Garment
4. THE LITTLE BLACK DRESS LBD is a hypothetical client based project which was provided by an Industry Mentor Mr. Piyush
Suri who helped us build a context and work around it, exploring the n number possibilities which moreover looks like a shell.
CLIENT PROFILE
INSPIRATION BOARD
EXPLORATION BOARD Fabric on Fabric with stitch lines Corrugated paper painted black Tea leaves pasted and painted
AYAKO CHINEN (Dermatologist) Based in Tokyo, Japan Gender: Female Age: Marital Status: Married Husband’s Occupation: Designer Children: One Daughter Interests: Cooking, Reading books, Travelling Style: Simple, Classy, Feminine
Contrast colour fabrics stitched
Pintucks with top stitches
Corrugated sheet coated with black paint Remains after peeling off fuse tape (took this forward) Optical fibres joined using fusing and coated with black paint Cambrick Cotton Burnt
ABOUT THE GARMENT
Raglan Sleeves Band Collar DETAILS Texture with fusing on the sleeve FASTENING Zip (back) OTHER DETAILS
Silhouette: A-Line
5. THE JACKET PROJECT Major inspiration was “Sound Waves” which lead to keywords like : BALANCED, CALM, HARMONY,
Muslin Fit
Fabric Swatches
Moodboard
Final Garment
6. THE RETAIL PROJECT
EASY followed by design development focusing on OFFICE and EVENING-WEAR TOP.
Iterations on stripe placements, V necks, Box Pleat. Princess line & back open: major design details.
Referring to the colour palette derived from the moodboard, created stripes on CAD, painted and explored on the silhouette simultaneously.
Finalised the direction of stripes and the silhouette. V-neck, Princess, Three Panels, Back open
It has been designed for a working professional to night party.
Fabric: Cotton Spandex Can be Styled with: Skirt (Party)
7. LOOPS AND KNOTS Understood that linear materials holds in itself and has a huge potential of being manipulated and surrendered towards form and detail. Understood the possibilities of the various yarn techniques like knitting, knotting and crocheting and draping of knitted fabrics. At last landing up at a product which has the technique, yarn and colour with the basis being the inspiration picture.
In order to create edges similar to my visual, I explored with techniqus like Crocheting, Knitting and Macrame. During the exploration I came up with a thought of NOT SECURING TWO ELONGATED STITCHES WITH A GARTER STITCH. As a result it gives me the similar edge. Initially I started with wool and chenille and later
Made a choker, created by garter stitches and elongated stitches later gathered together from one side and attached with a macrame.
Draping knit fabric with reference to Inspiration Picture
8. DRAPING This section of the protfolio includes a few drapes which were a part of different projects. This is a compilation of various techniques ranging
from Ripping off a garment into various possibilities to using Button Masala Technique in a knit fabric.
Other techniques like dart manipulation through panelling and pleated fabric drape.
9. THE BRA PROJECT The major aim of this project was to address topics that exist within the society. We were mentored by Mr.Piyush Suri.This was a group activity. BRA & CONTROL were the major keywords to begin with. We landed up creating a Satirical Print Media.
10. OTHER PROJECT LINKS
CRAFT INTERNSHIP
-
TRANSFORM & RESTRUCTURE
RESEARCH PAPER
LINED-COMPLEXITY
SEARCH-PAPER?
-
TERNSHIP
-
MAHESWAR
REPORT tainability
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DOCUMENTATION umentation
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SURFACE DEVELOPMENT denim-EXTENDED-VERSION
9. OTHER RELATED LINKS