Evaluation-UnitX

Branching my ideas from our Practice Unit, I have taken the concept of ‘Urban Movement’ and developed it deeper into ‘Dispersion’.

Rock Formations

I have particularly focused on the gradation of dispersion, thus through the colour and texture I have found in my research. I have been particularly inspired by Leonardo Drew’s most recent work and his use of material and placement, building on the density of his sculptures through using black. The key element in my work has been my use of blurring lines through staggering drop stitch and mohair yarns blending stripe. Furthermore, through this unit I have experimented with creating more open fabrics using ladders, drop stitch and yarns such as silk steel. I feel this adds a unique element to my collection and expresses my research well, with the contrasting heavier qualities from mohair and embroidered silk tops. This use of technique has led me on to communicate tactile qualities in reflection of my research.

Left: Plaiting with single bed. Righ: Inlay mohair with mock rib.

 Contextually I have been looking into high end designers to inspire my Spring/Summer collection, such as Uma Wang for silhouette influences as well as Balenciaga and Valentino’s use of details and a subtle integration of materials. This is what has led me to combine embroidering into my fabrics.

To explore alternate weights and outcomes, I have experimented with 7 gauge machines then hooked up onto fine gauge domestic to explore different outcomes or density. I made the decision to focus on fine gauge machines for my final collection as I felt the silk yarns kept the high quality finish I desired whilst creating drape and movement for my fabrics. Furthermore, I was happy with the heavier aesthetic I got from the 7 gauge and felting wool so I continued to combine my silks with brushed mohair and foiling to add texture.

The ambition of my project was to create a Spring/Summer collection for womenswear, I have used luxury yarns such as silk, mohair and fine silk steel which give a luxurious feel and are desirable for this market. The choice of technique and placement in my designs reflect sophistication, influenced by designers such as Helen Lawrence and Gabriel Colangelo.

Gabriel Colangelo

To express my work for fashion I have created a garment showing the qualities of my sampling. Using my silhouette research, I have taken inspiration from Uma Wang’s use of drape to create an oversized midi dress. Due to the volume of fabric, the silk qualities are shown beautifully. I have designed a drop stitch dispersing up the length of the dress eventually forming into inlayed mohair through mock rib at the top. Due to the weight of the techniques and doubling of yarns, the top and bottom of the garment extenuate the movement throughout. In order to present this professionally I held my own photoshoot, with the collaboration of a fine art student that focuses on use of photography, to shoot my garment. My aim was to capture the textural qualities in my garment therefore needing minimal styling, especially as a dress is a full outfit. I have developed skills through creating this garment and have gained confidence in future designs. I feel this could lead me onto achieving experience with in the industry before achieving a masters in knit design in the future.

Edit from the photoshoot

Evaluation- Practice Unit

In this Unit I found I have developed my experimenting through the use of live briefs alongside our main practice. I have used these to push my use of colour and material and also through techniqes and style. I have enjoyed working to my own brief alongside live. This has pushed me into alternate research contextually. I feel as though my use of colour improved after my feedback from the Bradford textile brief to then be shown in practice for the Michael Kidner Brief.

I have communicated my ideas well visually through drawing, photographs, artist research and contextually and developed this well through to my final collection. I think it shows through my strong use of media’s in drawing as well as my material choices when inlaying through my knit samples. I have pushed my concept to show movement and abstraction through use of fabric. I have developed texture to express my concept. My samples show a range of structures shown through urban life style such as ladder’s in comparison to pleats.

Ladders

I am pleased with my garment construction however I feel as I have designed and constructed my first initial pair of shorts early on. I now feel my samples have developed further into darker colours, different technique proportions and silhouette could be improved upon. I now feel as though they are a weak point to my collection of work for this unit. I would like to re consider a different design to complete my look but this is something I will work through in unit X.

I am very pleased with the outcome of my second garment, I am pleased with the use of inlay on the straps, and I feel this gives strong detail to the garment to push the high end elements. This is definitely something I will push further through my looks. I am also pleased with the technique used on both front and back of the garment and how my yarn choice hangs on the body in a draped yet boxy way demonstrating the structure of urban surroundings yet incorporating my concept with movement.

Garment 2

Although I have used a small range of techniques in my final collection of fabrics, I feel as though I have pushed the way they have been used. I feel inlay was very successful in communicating my concept as I have experimented in crossing the inlay over across the front of the bed and back up to represent transport tracks and also using inlay through monofilament and mohair to show the movement visuals through brush like strokes in the texture. I would like to push this even further in my garments through unit x.

My focus throughout this practice has been extremely varied through yarn research and styling, to silhouette and colour as well as technique and texture. I have particularly found Marianne Kemps weaves inspiring to push knit techniques further from weaces. Also Erdems use of texture with femininity and elegance and also Craig Lawrence texture and silhouettes have inspired me through my use of monofilaments. 

Craig Lawrence

Michael Kidner

Within this project I have also picked up the Michael Kidner live brief, taking inspirations from his op art in the 1960’s to develop a collection of fabrics that could be used for fashion. In particular 60’s style mod dresses.

Although Kidners work is flat, block colour, I have chosen to represent the waves and pattern through texture. I have done this through manipulating pockets, drop stitch, using lycra and racking.

Ladders Racked

Racking and Drop stitch

Mock rib, Racking, Drop stitch

I have been very influenced through his interest in ‘chaos’ and have expressed this through the strong detail in my samples of fabrics. I have chosen to do them proportionally as strong detail against plain knit to demonstrate the strong pattern on flat block colour.

From a recent trip to Florence and the Pitti Filati exhibition I have gained a lot of inspirations of techniques and use of colour.

I wanted to keep my colour pallet similar to Michael Kidners later work of toned down shades, I have done this through the use of grey and white alongside strong colour and mixing up proportion of colour through my collection.

My visualisations for my fabrics have come from inspiration off Missoni and Marc Jacobs. I have toned mine down to detailing as apposed to all over pattern.

Missoni 2014

Garment Development

From completing my first garment I have come to some conclusions, after a tutorial half way through construction I realised I could have considered seam placement to give it them a more interesting look without adding anything different or taking any design aspects away. I would have liked to have considered this before construction so it is something I will work on in my next garment. I also hadn’t considered technique on the back of the garment which I think is a beautiful detail to add to tie it all together.

I also feel as though my garment looks a lot plainer than I initially estimated from my designs. I would like to really include a lot more technique or trims onto my next piece. I had a few issues when constructing also. Due to the viscose yarn I have purchased only coming on small cones, I have had some problems with how it had been wound on effecting the tension on my shorts panels. Therefore I had to re knit a few as they came off as different lengths. I was also unhappy with the finish of the lycra and added some cording into it and linked over to add some thickness to the waist band. I have kept this on the inside of the garment as I don’t want the cording showing.

Constructed Garment 1

To move onto my next garment I am creating a top to complete the look using darker yarns and a more dramatic technique. I am keeping the boxy silhouette structures in keeping with my concept.

Garment 2 Toil

I have been furthering my final collection alongside this, experimenting with inlaying materials such as paper yarn, monofilament and mohair’s to have a strong contrast similar to my media choices in my sketchbook.

Silk and Mohair sample

Garment development

As I feel I struggle with drawing designs, I have decided to initially begin to create looks through toiles. This has been really successful as I can then draw from these and design placement of techniques or yarn choices.

Due to this being my first constructed garment I would like to keep it the most simple from my looks to get used to the construction. I feel the mohair in my samples represents my sketchbook well at the moment as it shows movement beautifully through the brushed texture.

This shows particularly well when inlayed with a mock rib.

As I am designing for high end spring summer, I have chosen to begin with a pair of oversized medium length shorts. I think the oversized shorts would express movement from my imagery beautifully through my yarn and draping.

Shorts Toil

I am pleased with the silhouette of my final toile as I think the simplicity of it will high light my technique, colour and yarn.

From my tutorials I have realised that the sportswear influences does not connect well with the fabrics I am developing. They have a different tone to sportswear and I don’t want to push an influence on my work that is naturally developing into a different direction.

I don’t want to add any brighter trims or anything that will take away from the detail of the techniques I am working on.

Self Initiated Brief

From sampling this week I have really enjoyed challenging knit with weave to create beautiful movement through material use. I have done this through inlaying in various ways on the dubied machine, also using the domestic knitting machine I have been e-wraping to give a similar effect. As shown in this silk and cotton sample here, the use of monofilament gives a similar fast movement aesthetic to my drawing. This is something I am really interested in developing and pushing further with what I can create through a knit machine in a different perspective like weave.

I’ve also taken my time to create complex pattern and cross overs with weaving in on the dubied machine but as this takes a considerable amount of time I have tested the outcome on a domestic knitted machine too. Also due to the dubied double bed can be restrictive. I have been testing a range of yarns to see what qualities I like best for this.

Domestic sample

I feel very inspired by Marriane Kemps woven pieces through the use of horse hair and extra quality it gives to a fabric. This has influenced me to look into contrasting qualities in material including the monofilament then onto mohair and paper yarn as they are all very different from one another.

Marriane Kemp

As this is a difficult and time consuming process to create on a knitting machine I feel as though my work would be best suited for high end fashion. Also through my use of luxury yarns including a lot of silks. My colour pallet works well for this as it gives a sophisticated and subtle look to my fabrics.

I have begun to consider garments and how my techniques will work on these now. I would like to construct for spring summer because I think this will work best for using the fine gauge machine and my use of colour. Through researching garment shape and the fashion workshop I have been attending I would like to focus on clean cut boxy shaping similar to urban surroundings but as my fabrics create a beautiful drape this will manipulate shape. I think that this will create an interesting contrast similar to the boxy shapes with in city's contrasted to fast movement of lifestyle.

Self Initiated Brief

This week I have been looking into my own self-initiated brief, for a while I have been inspired by modern lifestyle and urban areas. This has come from moving to a city and my recent trips to New York, London and Paris. I also feel it has a relationship with my dissertation including sportswear and contemporary lifestyle with fashion.  

Initially I have been gathering visual research through online blogs from city fashion bloggers lifestyle, urban photography on Pinterest and contextual research for a rough guide of inspirations. I then followed this through to take some of my own initial images to draw from and abstract.

Primary Image

I have been abstracting the movement components from my images through to my drawing using a range of media including oil paints, paint pens and fine liners.

I would like to express the glass colours and reflection look from my images for a modern urban style. Using whites, ice blues, cream, and a hint of pale taupes. I would like these to represent cool crisp modernism from relation to my imagery. I’ve ordered silks, viscose’s and cotton yarns this week to express this further as they create a drape. I have chosen to work with a draping fabric so I can explore the movement from my visual research through to knit.

I am created a body of samples this unit to be used for womenswear spring summer, I will do this on the fine gauge knitting machines 10 and 12. I have chosen finer gauge machines as my photography and drawing shows a delicate approach to my concept. I feel a heavier gauge machine would be too textured for my work. I am also constructing garments. I would like 3 full looks for the degree show therefore 1 to 2 garments need to be constructed by the end of this unit. I think this will really help me with scale and proportion when sampling, to consider how it can be constructed as a garment. 

I have also been influenced by sportswear contextually and would like to bring this look into my samples somehow. I am going to try out different ways to do this by trying similar techniques as used in performance wear or through the way I detail and trim my samples. This could mean I need to bring in a brighter colour into the pallet or draw in a more linear and flatter form and not textural.

Alexander Wang Spring 2015