Final Result/ Evaluation

   I have finally come around to producing and finalising my photo shoot pictures due to not wanting to show a release of the garment by itself because I don't own a mannequin. On the contrary, I am amazed with the success I have had with this garment and project so far; the garment itself was relatively sustainable to achieve but I think I really thrived with this piece. Plus, I like to have a little challenge through each project. If I could have done anything differently, perhaps the easiest thing would be to create and design another garment, despite this I am very happy with my final result and I couldn't imagine it to be any greater considering the time limit I had to create this for my project. Moreover, the shoot itself also went really well because it related with my themes of animal cruelty and textures, also it made my model look more wild and animalistic rather than in front of a dull background with no emotion. In addition, I wanted to keep my models' face very minimalistic makeup wise, but I wanted her hair to be crazy and backcombed to look as if it had never been touched by a brush to really add that wild side to the photographs and it worked really well alongside the garment piece.

   I think this garment piece could be considered unisex as it has a very wide shape, plus I think that the style of this garment is very unique and truly stresses the sense of entrapment and lack of movement for the body, similar to animals in cages. The fabric I chose also relates well to the textures side of my theme because I used a thin sort of velvet and faux fur, yet again enhancing the theme of animals and such. Furthermore, I think it is obvious that my theme relates to animals in some way or form from the photographs background and also the garment from all the textures and shapes. Below are some of the photos I had taken.

    To tell the truth, I am rather nervous about this upcoming assessment, but then again who isn't?! Nonetheless, I think I have worked very hard these past 8 weeks and also think that I have excelled my potential more than what I ever expected to achieve and for that I give myself a pat on the back. On top of this, my friends' have also created really great and unique pieces and being surrounded by such hard working individuals has really helped me to up my game because we all support each other and learn new things during each  and every workshop and it is absolutely priceless. Overall, this has been a very exciting and new project for me and I can see how I have developed tremendously as an individual and I can't wait to start the next project!

Garment Construction

    After successfully manipulating my fabric, it was now the time to draw my pattern piece on top of the fabric so that I can attach the pieces together. The whole process went surprisingly smoothly considering there usually is a hiccup on the way. Nonetheless, it worked very well, even with the pre-made pleats, it still managed to sow well together. I find machine sowing to be very therapeutic in the sense that you have control of practically everything you're doing, despite the machine having bipolar from time to time. However, it is clear to me that my design is working very well and efficiently, plus the garment looks practically equal to my illustration, but there are still some finishing touches I need to make before it is finished (e.g. add the rest of the faux fur). Today, I even managed to attach my front zip to the garment so that it would be easier for the model to get in and out of considering that it has no arm holes! Moreover, the more fur I add, the more it relates to my theme of animal cruelty and textures, plus a great sense of restriction from no arm holes, thus the model will looked trapped or claustrophobic in my piece.

    If I could have done anything differently, it would have been to maybe make my fabric manipulation more precise, but I like the fact that it looks more hand-made than precisely perfect because it represents my theme well yet again in the sense that the structure is very boxed in and dense. Furthermore, I even managed to add the bottom panel of fur, hence I really don't have that much to do so perhaps over the weekend, I will finally be able to construct another pattern piece or accessory to go alongside this garment. I must admit that adding the fur was probably the most difficult bit because the foot of the machine kept attaching itself to it, but I soon managed to get into the routine so that it would be easier on me and the machine. Overall, I am thrilled with the results and I am much more content with what I am doing and how I've managed to achieve this result independently as a Fashion student.

Project: Pattern Making and Fabric Construction

   I finally got the chance today to create my garments pattern for my upcoming project assessment. From my designs, I have chosen to design and create a poncho like shaped garment, but it has no arm holes, hence it is rather restricted and relates really well to my theme of animal cruelty. Not to mention, the textures are very juxtaposed, but again relate to my themes of animal cruelty and textures by using a very thin, dense velvet and faux fur. I have still chosen to continue on with my mono theme being orange, however the shop didn't have the exact orange I was looking for, thus I had to pursue on and make the best of what I had. So today, I got help from Duncan who specialises in pattern making, so my pattern was relatively easy considering that it didn't need sleeves or pockets. However, the only struggle was that I wanted my garment to slightly fold inwards towards the waist and then flow out at the bottom, similar to an A-line skirt. He taught me how to use a pattern master to its full extent which was very helpful and perhaps even more so than when I went to a specialised pattern cutting tutorial evening because I got individual help and advice on how to construct my piece. Nonetheless, we managed to get a stabilised and suitable pattern which met the majority of my criteria and it then gave me an incentive to crack on with the making of my fabric. (Apologies, due to the lighting you can't properly see the outline of my pattern but you can see the indentations)

    I really wanted to enhance the aspect of textures for my garment, but this made it a struggle for Duncan and I when it came to pattern cutting because my technique would shrink and manipulate the pattern, hence the garment would be completely wrong. However, I decided to manipulate my velvet fabric first and then cut the pattern around it, which seemed to work very well considering it had lots of lumps and bumps from the stitching. On top of this, I tried to keep the pleat lines as even as possible, however I think the slight distortions made it look more fitting towards my theme of animal cruelty because they all look slightly tattered and beat up. Furthermore, the next stage would be for me to add the fur and the zip, so hopefully I should be almost finished by friday and then I can perhaps consider to make an accessory piece alongside the garment to make it look more of a collection, rather than a solo piece. If I could have done anything differently, I would have liked to had experimented more with different shapes and manipulations for my garment, considering that my book is following up a textiles standard rather than design. Despite this, I think it came out really well and I'm excited to see it when it is complete.

Horst: Photographer of Style

    Today I decided to go and visit the Horst: Photographer of Style Exhibition, currently being held at the V&A. I thought it would be a great idea to see this exhibition prior to my final project assessment and photo shoot, so that I could gather more ideas on how I want my final garment to be presented through photography and also on a human figure rather than a mannequin. This exhibition was truly remarkable and the works in there, I found to be very inspirational. On top of this, a lot of the garments that the models were wearing looked a lot similar to some of my final design sketches, so it really did help by showing great angles and perspectives of the piece. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures, hence I got some from the V&A website, plus a few more. Nonetheless, I am really happy to have gone to see this exhibition and it may even help me for future projects and research. V&A quote,
      "Horst created images that transcend fashion and time. He was a master of light, composition and atmospheric illusion, who conjured a world of sensual sophistication…Horst’s photographs of this period feature mysterious, whimsical and surreal elements combined with his classical aesthetic. He created trompe l’oeil still lifes, photographed the surreal-infused dress designs of his friend Elsa Schiaparelli and collaborated with the artist Salvador Dalí. He shared with the Surrealists a fascination with the representation of the female body, often fragmenting and eroticising the human form in his images"

 




     If I could have done anything differently today, it probably would have been to have produced some more design sketches to influence me more, however I think my overall final designs are efficient enough to support this project and gain myself a strong grade. I think exhibitions really are a great way of finding yourself and showing how you can get inspiration from practically anywhere. I don't consider myself to go down any route of fashion photography, although it shows me how a garment can look a lot different on a person and not a mannequin. Not to mention, the positions the models are in can make a great impact whilst wearing the garment whether that being the scale or perhaps shadowing of the garment, thus creating depth and texture to the garments. Plus, the location or props can also enhance the overall theme to the garment/collection which is probably what I will end up doing, similarly to the previous accessories shoot we had to complete.

 

Work On The Mannequins:

   Today, I decided to spend my time creating more 3-D structures of figures and shapes on the mannequins due to not really having a clear idea as to what I want to design. Nonetheless, it has really helped me decide how I want my design to hold itself by using interfacing with the fabric to keep it standing by itself. On top of this, it allowed me to experiment and exhaust ideas from illustrations I already had in my book, which have either stayed the same or what I have altered in style or shape. Despite not having much time, I have defiantly benefited from this task, but now I have to show and present in my book how I have managed to create/achieve my results for my final piece and once I get to that point, I will start to construct my final project garment. If I could have done anything differently, I would have tried to be more courageous when it came to making these 3-D shapes to encourage and enhance my designs further. Moreover, I would have liked to have looked at more pattern designs so I could experiment further to see if anything could have related to my theme in some way, but for the next project, I will make sure I am fully equip with research and pattern cutting books. Below are some examples:








































      Overall, I am very happy that I decided to carry this through, despite it being so time-limited, I would rather spend my time making sure it will be effective and interesting rather than dull or rushed. Plus, I am really looking forward to making my patterns for this garment so that I can get started straight away and finish everything before assessment.

Final Piece Research: Jean Paul Gaultier A/W 2008 Haute Couture

   Over the course of the weekend, I have been looking left, right and centre for more research and information for creating this projects final piece, which I will create all of this week. I still want the cage elements with the garments and managed to come across Jean Paul Gaultier's A/W 2008 Haute Couture collection. I personally love this collection because it relates relatively well to what I want to do and also has both elements of Structure and Attachment. In particular, I like how he has added some accessories and also waist bands to represent cage aspects to the garments, hence I am lucky I have come across this old collection. In addition, it has now made me understand what fabrics I need to purchase for my garments, one being fur (preferably orange/red to match my mono theme). Nonetheless, this collection is exactly what I needed to inspire me further for this project and I hope to exceed my own expectations when it comes to designing these pieces. Although, researching this catwalk, I would hate to try re-create and copy the same garments so I will push myself to create something totally unique and original to show that it was all me and my works.
Style.com quote,
       "It was a leather framework of saddle epaulets and harnesses strapped over a fur coat that set things off on the wrong foot. It was that, and then not letting the thing go until he had run through all the punning comparisons with cages and corsetry, right up to the bride's whalebone "veil."

     




    Furthermore, I can see this being a very successful project, plus if I focus this project on more of a textiles perspective, I will have to enhance or manipulate the fabric more than how I would with normal designs and show how I managed to achieve my pattern pieces or styles. Being on this course has made me realise how designers all co-operate in an overall style, whether that being prints, colours, scale and more. Thus, I will co-operate with Gaultier's style, but use it in my own individual way. Overall, I am very keen to get started on this project and present my final piece to my tutor at assessment.

The Dilemma…

    Next week is probably one of the most important weeks of my life revolving around education, it is the time when we hand in our first official projects for my Fashion and Textiles Foundation course. However, after having a one on one tutorial with my tutor, everything has seemed to turn in the complete opposite direction and not necessarily in a bad way… My tutor came to the conclusion of my work being profoundly based around textiles rather than design, which I had to admit hurt a little bit considering it has always been my passion to do as a BA. Nonetheless, once I got my head around it, it began to make a bit more sense considering I did Textiles as an A-Level and got A*. However, I always assumed it was due to my designs rather than the actual research and textiles side to the garment and even my class mates said they considered my book to be more Textiles than Design. Despite this, I plan on making my book into a hard-core design book for my next project so that I can understand myself more as a person and who I want to be in future.
    Not only this, but it has come to mind that it is going to be very pressuring for me when it comes to applying for courses via UCAS because womenswear design and textiles are completely at the ends of the spectrum when it comes to fashion and as I said, I am a bit doubtful of going towards a Textiles pathway rather than Design because I have always been so keen and focused on designing womenswear clothing. Although, I am also pushing away the Textiles element only because I do not properly understand their role in the fashion industry and I don't want to assume that it won't be what I think it is or perhaps even undermine its potentials, hence I will need to confront my tutor again at a more suitable time and even ask my friends for advice because I seem to be in a bit of a pickle if you ask me! On the whole, there is nothing I can really do for this project now because I am already so far ahead with my current research and development that it would be practically impossible to start again and get a decent grade. Hence, I will continue to push my current work further and begin to construct ideas for a final piece using the advice and criticism I got from my tutor so that I can sustain a better design and grade for the end of this project.

Introduction to Patternmaking – RAVE SHORT

    Yesterday evening, I decided to invest in my spare time to go to a late night evening for an 'Introduction to Patternmaking' course. The introduction itself lasted only 2 hours, which wasn't nearly enough time to create any practical things at all. Magdalena, our tutor was a very nice lady and studied at Ravensbourne many years ago, so it was nice to see that she still had connections with the university, she mainly focused on pattern making and industrial processes. Over the course of the evening, I became more aware of the 3-dimensions towards creating a garment pattern and how everything has to be very specific and exactly to scale to complete an even garment, even being 1cm over could distort the garment piece. On top of this, I have also learned how to use a pattern master, which I have never used before and it looked a lot more complicated than it actually was and for that I was very happy! Nonetheless, I have already done the process we did last night in secondary school but it was good to touch up on my skills and knowledge.  

    Overall, the course itself was interesting, but I think there was too much tutorial rather than practical. Also, it would have been nice to construct something as a group rather than individually so that we could observe everything that other people had done and to perhaps even construct the pieces onto the mannequin. There wasn't really much I could improve on with this evening because I did how I was told to do it and there was no real alternative, especially considering she gave us the wrong pattern piece to trace from. Nonetheless, I have learnt a lot of information on the easy processes and equipment which is used for traditional pattern cutting. Moreover, I now have more of an idea as to how I can now construct my pattern pieces according to my design, despite this, there is always room for improvement with new techniques since I only really know the basics to making garments, hence I need to purchase of loan a pattern book to elaborate my garments with different shapes and sizes. 

 

Random Spaces: Brink Lane, London

    When we were out on our day trip, I came across these random spaces in the location which is, Brick Lane. I have always been fascinated with this area from the vast amount of markets, fabric shops, wall art and more. In particular, I was most interested in areas which weren't in use anymore, including grills, gates, walls, empty spaces and more. Brick Lane is defiantly a place you go to and can't not see something new and in this case I found something very interesting. I think this area in Brick Lane relates very well to where I went to photograph my accessories at (Wapping Hydraulic Power Station). Below are some examples from which I have taken.

    I became automatically interested in these spaces because I think they relate very well to my personal theme and I would defiantly consider this as primary research. If I could have done anything different, it would have been to have taken more photos or perhaps even created a few drawings, although we were running out of time by the time I walked past these places. I thought that they were very interesting and they instantly reminded me of things such as animal cruelty, poor conditions, closed spaces and empty dark space. I felt rather worried to be in this space because I couldn't quite tell if someone was in there or if anything was in there because there were random objects of things which surely couldn't have been placed there by accident, hence there is some storyline or journey to what has been and occurred within this space. Nonetheless, I liked how it had many elements inside it, mostly rubble, but it defiantly  gave the place character. Not to mention, the outside of these walls were covered in word graffiti, decaying wall boards and even an old rustic sign saying, 'closed' (Like that wasn't obvious?!)

Overall, I was really happy that I was able to get a glimpse of this place and it has inspired me to create some designs using the texture of the square grills, but use it as a laser cut shape to show an entrapment of the body, yet again relating to texture and animal cruelty. I have finally got more sense of an idea as to what I want to achieve at the end of this project and I think that it is working very efficiently so far, although I need to stretch my ideas further now and begin to create samples so I can get a better idea of how I am going to create my garments.

Tate Modern/ Whitechapel Gallery

    Yesterday, our class was split in half to go and visit both the Tate and Whitechapel Gallery so that we could get inspiration and research done for our upcoming essay which we have to produce. I found this trip really helpful, considering our essay HAS to relate to either 2 rooms in the Tate or just 1 Tate room and then the Whitechapel Gallery exhibition. Nonetheless, I have come to the conclusion that I want to do my essay on 2 rooms within the Tate, rather than using the Whitechapel Gallery exhibition because I felt that it didn't really relate to my own personal theme and I had much more of a connection with the rooms in the Tate. Moreover, I also found it easy to compare and juxtapose both the rooms from which I have chosen, which are 1) Bill Viola: Tiny Deaths on Level 2, room 9 and 2) Louise Bourgeois: Works on Paper on Level 4. The first room I chose was relatively easy, not only was the work itself inspiring, but also the name of the general theme, which involves death and doing animal cruelty, it tends to involve death also. Whereas, I chose the other room because I liked her use of drawings and I found them to be very animal like. There were also a few pieces which looked like poacher equipment (traps etc.), hence I thought that it was very relatable. On top of this, I can juxtapose these rooms by the type of media they use, the overall feel, colouring, scale and much more, thus I should find this relatively easy to complete.

Own photo- Bill Viola: Tiny Deaths movie shot

                                            Own photo: Louise Bourgeois: Works on Paper

      Furthermore, the visit to the Whitechapel Gallery in the afternoon was worth the trip to an extent, but again I didn't have a true connection to it. Despite this, I managed to get an interview with one of the supervisors and I found this very useful. I also tried this at the Tate but they were USELESS! (Had no idea what they were talking about and wasn't hardly enthusiastic about anything) Richard Tuttle as a designer I don't think I truly understand his whole idea from his creations and I mostly agree with the things I heard my interviewee say due to the minimalistic and sporadic works that were within the exhibition. I also didn't enjoy the gallery as much due to none of us being able to take photographs, however I managed to be rather sneaky and get a couple without them noticing. Below is a typed up version of my interview. 

 Overall, this trip has helped me to develop more ideas for my final piece and also constructing this essay. Moreover, I feel that I may need to return to the Tate to gather further research but for now I am satisfied for what I have now and I look forward to see how this influences my ideas and my creations, whether that being for my project or essay.

Mood Board Inspiration (Pre-Shoot)

    Before I pursued my photoshoot, I decided to create a series of mood boards so that I could gather new and fresh ideas to inspire me for my ideas using my accessories. To begin with, my accessories related to themes such as 'Animal Cruelty' and 'Textures', thus I had to think of a location, style and much more to fully construct my shoot. I particularly enjoyed creating a mood board for my location, although I already had my mind set on a location, hence I created a mood board revolving around it, which was a Hydraulic Power Station in Wapping, East London. This location has a personal attachment to me because it was literally right behind my house, due to my house being the stations' owners ex-household. My childhood home was constructed in 1891, thus I assume it was around the same time the station was built, but it was known for being the main power source which lifted the London Bridge gates to allow trade ships to pass in and out of London. If I could have done anything different, it would have been to perhaps move my location to somewhere such as a playing field or junk shop, so it could relate to close spaces and entrapment, not to mention rails, gates, wires and more to relate to animal cruelty.

    I gathered many images from the Uni's library, also from the latest editions of Vogue, which I felt had really captivating secondary images. I also thought that it would be a good idea to include some of my own primary images, which were polaroids, but it gives me a sense of emotion relating to fear or tight spaces due to little lighting and a vast amount of dark areas. Moreover, I added a lot of industrial images to relate well to the power station, although it would have been hard to find images specifically related without using the internet. Nonetheless, these were all primary and secondary images from books and magazines, I also managed to gather some quotes and interviews, although they're on separate page. It was truly amazing to be reunited with my childhood memories and locations and I felt privileged to be back. Moreover, the location was also doing a film production at the same time, so I was immensely lucky to have been able to use this space and it truly did come to my advantage!

Fashion Photoshoot

   This week we have been evolving our accessories further by using them on models with a bit more atmosphere. I decided to do this in an Hydraulic Power Station in Wapping, which is rather sentimental to me considering it is right behind my old childhood home. I think that this location was absolutely perfect for me and my theme of textures and animal cruelty in the sense that the location was filled with gates and rustic tubes to represent a rather grubby atmosphere. My first accessory is made from hangers, which represents a bird cage, thus the models head is trapped inside, portraying an emotion of fear, anger and entrapment. The other accessory was a harness-like piece, again consisting of hangers and also had the same general moods and emotion to it. I found this task rather challenging yet exciting because I got to try this method of experimentation for the first time. Nonetheless, not only did I secure a great location, I also did all of the styling, hair and makeup alongside which combined rather well together. If I could have changed anything, it would have been to elaborate my accessories more and also to direct my models a bit more strictly in the sense that they needed to be much more emotional within the shots, whether that portraying fear or anger. A great example from which I got some inspiration from was the Comme Des Garcons Roversi shoot. I thought this was relatable because it shows almost the exact same emotions and I love the effects which went alongside to enhance it even further. Below are some examples,

     Overall, I have got a real insight to the promotion side of this project and it really does show how promotion can't work without design and vice versa. Moreover, it also portrays how different a garment or accessory looks in real life compared to a photograph, which shows how easily it can be publicised and sold to a vast about of people based off of one photograph. I would like to do this again, but obviously I would change the location and perhaps put more focus into a garment I may produce rather than an accessory. Nonetheless, this has been very enjoyable and I would be happy to pursue it again.

Day Trip in London

   Yesterday, our whole class took a day trip into London to do various things such as, visiting specific streets, taking photographs, creating mini sketches and even recording interviews. I particularly enjoyed this day, despite the terrible rain (I didn't have a hood or umbrella!!) . Nonetheless, I think that this was very helpful with our project in the sense that it builds up inspiration and helps us develop our ideas further. I have also come to a conclusion that I should begin to make twirls now from designing my own prints from inspirations such as, Alexander McQueen when we visited their shop. I even managed to try on one of the pieces, which was a red placement print and to relate it to my piece, it reminded me of an African Poaching scene because it had a tribal aspect, but it could relate to blood, death or anger. Hence, a lot of the things I saw yesterday related very well to textures and animal cruelty.

    It is clear to say that we spent the majority of our time in places such as Selfridges and Dover Market, only because it was very accessible to designer womenswear, accessories, books and staff who were able to answer some questions for us. If I could have done anything better, it would have been to have seen all the places, but it was practically impossible in the short time space and horrible weather. I thought it was defiantly a challenge to move around the city due to buzzing tourists, however I really enjoyed looking at the latest collections and trying items on so that I could get more of a sense of seeing it on a human figure rather than a hanger. In addition, I didn't just look at clothing, I also took pictures and drew thing such as the floor, lighting, stairs and more to get even further inspiration from little things we don't really pay attention to and it adds a lot more of a personal touch to the things we enjoy and that could also relate very well to the aspect of attachment for this theme. Moreover, I have defiantly chosen to stick to a red/orange monotone colour as it is bright and vibrant and will relate very well to my ideas such as textures and animal cruelty. Not to mention, I have also had the ability to get little samples and this has helped me tremendously as I now have more of an idea as to what I want to use and achieve as a final garment. 

Accessories Workshop: Day 2

    I really enjoyed todays workshop, much better than the first, apart from the fact I sliced my finger open with scissors!! I felt that today we all got a better grip on this process and I especially enjoyed making the paper accessory models, which I even got people to model for me physically. This involved a range of pieces, from hats to bags to neckpieces to belts and more! In particular, I really liked the head pieces I created because I think they worked well with both themes of texture and animal cruelty. This encouraged me to create pieces which had shape and body to it, not to mention I wanted to have the animal cruelty qualities to it as well so I created things that looked like an actual animal e.g a fish and a mask which represents a cage or entrapment. These are the examples below:

We did a series of 3 workshops today. 1) Create more objects. This could be done with even more materials, using the heat press and more. 2) Mannequin work. This was my favourite part of the day as it allowed me to be independent and focus on my aim to create something relating to my theme. Last but not least, 3) To create a paper collage using our miniature scaled down accessories we made on monday. I enjoyed this one very much because again, it allowed me to work with my own pieces in my own way and I think I worked very productively today and on schedule. However, if I could have done anything different, I would have used other materials such as toys, tin foil, hair clips, tooth picks, wire and more just so I could create something with more shape and structure. The part I found challenging was the first task because I have to admit, I didn't have as many materials on me as I should have. Nonetheless, the processes still worked well and I managed to use the heat press a couple times before I had my little accident. Overall, I would like to use the heat press in future, although it would probably be with fabric for the majority, whether that being gold foiling, sublimation prints or perhaps even appliqué,