Unit X Evaluation

Throughout this unit, I wanted to develop a more innovative and experimental approach to my knit designs, which would bring diversity to my portfolio.

Pushing further my concept of Overgrowth, from my practice unit, I decided to extend my exploration of ‘Growth’ and evolve the concept, research and colour pallete. Viewing beyond the excess of nature and focus more on the uncertainty of pattern and the occurrence of shape.

I worked on expanding the range of colour and texture in my samples, working in more nude tones and centring on the detail of technique. I have developed more complex, innovative dubied samples, which has allowed me to explore the uncertainty of pattern in my images. This drove me to experimenting with yarn choice such as the addition of viscose, silks and mercerised cotton, which were used to convey the more subtle qualities from my research. I also brought in new fibres such as cashmere, which gave my samples a higher quality feel and contrasting weight. Although I found that some qualities weren’t suitable for my intentions with this unit. I found the qualities of spun viscose, was a little too harsh a fabric when knitted, so I sourced viscose floss. I tried avoided such yarns as wools, I found that it gave too much of a thicker feel to the fabric and wasn’t the outcome I wanted to add to my collection.

Working my designs towards high end S/S womenswear fashion, I wanted to have a range of both open and solid structures, which I achieved through the use of varying techniques and different weight yarns.

I developed my sampling through experimenting with crochet techniques, which I feel express my images and define the occurrence of shape within my mark making and drawings.  The continuous line drawings from my sketchbook are translated through embroidery, crochet and on the dubied, with addition of appliqué and beading to define areas and add colour. Similarly testing machine techniques such as honeycomb, mock rib and casting off sections allowed my patterns to be random or repetitive where necessary.  I also used several embroidery techniques such as smocking to add texture, and testing bullion knots which was unsuccessful in application and appearance.

Contextually I have researched high-end S/S collections such as Liu Fang and Stella McCartney. Finding similar qualities in design and process. I believe that the research I have gathered, combined with the context and concept has been fully translated into my garment. Crocheting my garment has enabled me to have more control on placement, structure and silhouette.  

Future thinking; I intend to further developing my understanding of yarn and yarn qualities, extending sourcing and experimentation. Embracing the interlinking disciplines of constructed fabrics and embroidery and illustrating a more innovative approach to these techniques through fluent integration. Having a place in New Designers will give me the opportunity to exchange views with likeminded designers, gaining network prospects, building contacts and aiding my decisions on either further education or a role within the textile industry.

Evaluation.

Throughout the practice unit I have gained a great deal of knowledge, experimenting through the inclusion of the live briefs, with the focus on innovation in my self initiated brief.

Beginning with the Bradford brief I found I needed to find a more experimental way of moving forward. I found that adding new and unknown media within my processes improved the way I thought about my samples and pushed me to plan and subtract elements of media or samples I believed simply filled in the gaps. Learning a lot from this I believe it assisted me in my main practice unit, in selecting & choosing what was important and what wasn’t needed.  I felt I communicated my research well visually through the media I used and had been expressed well in my sampling. As the concept was ‘Decay’, the media processes I use inevitably meant it will slowly disintegrate, falling apart, leaving just the shell of the knit. This is the impression I wanted to follow through on.

 I feel I have learnt substantial amounts in practice, running both briefs side by side, managing my time between researching, producing and developing both independently but collectively gaining substance. This is not to say that it has been relaxed, I have had several problems between them both, with prioritising my time and looking forward as to what was more in need of development. I feel I have communicated the ideas and research within my sketchbook, through drawing, images, contextual and artist research. This has supported my work enormously when it came to designing and making.  

I have presented my concept as “The Elegance in Overgrowth”. Using techniques and yarn to express the feel and look of the concept such as the Contour technique, using certain types of yarns to indicate this. Using this technique in a certain way so as the design seems to be consuming the body, additionally using colour in specific samples to express this notion.  Using the colour to imply it is consuming rather than the technique.

 I am pleased with the outcome of my first two looks. I found my first garment to be the major learning curve for me, rearranging and manipulating the design ideas due to the nature of the technique. Once this was more developed I found a way for it to work well with plain knit and beading, portraying my concept, with meticulous placement of techniques to make the garment a whole. I am still unsure as to how well the second two garments work together as a look. I feel that some adjustments will be needed once the collection is put together as a whole reviewing it as a whole, revising ideas as what can be done to have things working better together. Initially, I feel they possibly might be better suited on different tops and bottoms, but this is something I can work on and figure out as Unit X progresses.

 However, my third look, I feel, needs to be revisited, adjusted and reworked. I don’t feel that it fits in as well as I would have liked and needs to be vastly improved upon. Changing one of the main elements such as the technique used or colour of garment to develop it more, maybe a change in garment design, I feel that the sample as it is works well in its small proportion, the Viscose and Silk yarns I feel give it the drape and excess fabric I wanted. However the technique brought difficulties on a larger scale, that the collection could work better revisiting and designing a new look for the line up.

Stepping back from my work and looking at my collection of samples as a whole, I feel there is still vast room for more testing, improving and experimenting to be done within Unit X, re-editing garment designs to be more explanatory of my concept. Changing and adjusting seams and openings to make a bolder statement.

Live Brief - Michael Kidner.

As part of this unit I chose to undertake the Michael Kidner live project, using his paintings as inspiration, interpreting his choice of mild movement and colour proportion.

Taking his simplicity of his art work as a potential focus, choosing to concentrate on his confident use of simple repetitive techniques to drive forward my ideas.

I found that colour and colour proportion was a problem, realising that I was being too bold with some tones when in fact they should be more minimal to represent Kidner’s artwork.

Whilst focusing on the simplicity of suggestive movement and recurring pattern in Kidner’s artwork I wanted to represent this within my knit samples. Using drop stich and Lycra to suggest slight movement, detailing of colour within the sections of drop stitch allowing the excess fabric to bring forward the minimal colour.  Along with the lycra I chose to add slight sections of silk to add softer element, allowing subtle sections of movement. I feel that the contrast of weights in fabric qualities will express his suggestive confident colour and soft fluid lines with in his art work. Testing the colour along side each other to find the suitable proportions that represent his style.

This project has allowed me to push simpler techniques such as ladders and use of drop stitch forward and to focus more on colour proportion on which I would normally struggle. However I still feel with more development this could be a lot more effective and more of a resolved combination in the knit samples.

Wes Gordon.                 .                      

I have taken contextual inspiration from Wes Gordon s/s 16, and his choice of fabric manipulation, exploring how I could apply this to my fashion visualisations. His bold use of all over texture and technique is something to consider in my illustrations. I have found that the expressive movement in both Wes Gordon and Micheal Kidners work, sit along the same lines as each other. I want to bring this substance of professionalism into my samples, working onto the same level as Wes Gordons work . Hopefully portraying my work to the same type of target audience, aiming more towards higher end fashion. 

Garment Development.

I have been experimenting with my sampling, using different types of techniques to bring through occurring texture and detail. Whilst doing this I have found that when trying to relate these techniques into garment design and tension squares, it has been extremely difficult to figure out how to keep sample detail, fully fashioned and to create the shape I would like for my garment without compromising one of these elements. Having to tweak and further develop garment designs to achieve a look I want.

Working on a stand using jersey I started to pin out the designs I plan to knit. For my first outfit I plan to knit a sleeveless dress, with fully fashioned neckline and arm holes, using the contour technique, gradually using this give the illusion of the technique taking over the dress, coupled with the amount of fabric in the dress appearing to consume the model.  I looked at higher end garment production, researching designers such as Paco Rabanne, exploring how they designed their garments, identifying the elements which to me, made it look more high end.

                                                                                                                Paco Rabanne.

 My research led me to incorporate a looser fitting body with a higher neckline using a light colour pallete into my design in the belief   these details will bring a higher end fashion feel. In addition, I wanted to add more intricate details in this garment such as fading beaded detail as used by Balenciaga, which I feel will bring a sense of sophistication which with specific placement will be intricate and appear to seemingly take over the dress, yet progressively fading out on the front.

The second look will be a crochet top and knitted shorts. Initially, I wanted create a crochet dress similar to the one made by Dolce and Gabbana, however, I felt the technique I wanted to use wasn’t strong enough as a stand-alone technique for a whole dress. So I did further garment research and found the aforementioned look, via Pinterest. Inspired by this, and how effectively it worked, I wanted to incorporate the technique into one of my vest designs. I felt it would introduce a summerier feel to the line up.

Dolce & Gabbana                                                                                                                                            Source- Pintrest.

Alongside the vest I also designed shorts. using the Lycra and pipe cleaner sample. This posed some very discouraging and disconcerting problems, due to where the pipe cleaners would be sitting and how close the skin they would be. However, through experimentation I discovered it could be avoided by incorporating a lining, this plus excessive fabric and clever placement of the pipe cleaners, ensured they weren’t in close contact with the skin.

 For my third garment, I designed another free flowing dress with front detail. I have had unrelenting problems with the technique and yarn I have been using for the design of the dress. When I was sampling for this garment the problems I encountered were mild due to the much smaller scale, therefore the scale of the problems were not something I could foresee or anticipate.  Decisions whether to carry on with the making of this dress are still unclear.

With all the detail design features in the garments, mainly the dress and the shorts, the focal problem is time consumption; underestimating the time consumed by individual beading the design on to the dress and the slow process of placing the pipe cleaners into the shorts was an unpredicted problem. This has meant prioritising more time to this than to other components, which in turn may mean jeopardising other elements of the project.

 

Stephanie Rolland                                                                                                                                           Sandra Backlund

With the use of yarn and techniques I currently employ, I would like to feel that my work is comparable to designers such as Stephanie Rolland and Sandra Backlund.