Unit X Evaluation

Throughout Unit X I have demonstrated professional methodology by underpinning my practical work with vast context and trend research. Visiting the WGSN website regularly has enabled me to keep up to date with the latest material trends, print designs and embroidery techniques. Creating samples that are in trend has been very important for this unit, with my context being for womenswear fashion.

One challenge I faced with this unit, was to really research my context in depth. Although my audience has always been womenswear, in past projects my research has been too “couture” for my work. Contextually, I have underpinned my practice in Unit X by taking inspiration from womenswear fashion designers who work in a similar way to myself. Examples of these being Denise Van Gent, Leutton Postle and the fashion brand Typical Freaks.

Testing and sampling, particularly on fabric samples has been key to my professional development. This unit has given me the chance to really experiment with colour and surface texture using a wide range of processes. These being digital printing, painting with puff binder under a heated gun, fabric dying and experimenting with the Tufter machine. I've also been using my own embellishments in this unit, because they worked so well in the last project. Continuing from the last project, colour has been one of the main challenges of this unit. I was going off course regarding my colour palette half way through his unit, so I went back to basics and created a sketchbook full of yarn wrappings. Something as simple as this really helped me get back on track with my colour palette.

I have created a strong portfolio fit for purpose, which tells a clear story from start to finish. I have a few different collections within my portfolio, but all own the same qualities. These being layered fabrics, hand embroidery and crafted embellishments. I've come to the conclusion that I like that handmade craftsmanship, unique quality of my samples. This is where my professionalism lies, a mix between embellished embroidery and printed fabrics.

Another challenge which I tend to struggle with in most of my projects, is time management. It was really important for me to keep up a fast working pace throughout this unit, so I could achieve the appropriate goals. I have worked hard in this project, and I have made more time to create work during this unit. Having weekly tutorials helped with this, as it almost scared me into doing more work each week. Knowing I had a list of things to do for the following week made me motivated to get lots done. This is clearly visible with the amount of research I've carried out and the quality of my samples in my portfolio.

Over all this unit has given me the chance to push my ideas from the last project and create some of the best samples and designs I have ever made. I've corresponded well to my learning agreement, finishing off with a professional portfolio ready to be shown to the real world.

WEEK 4: SELF INITIATED BRIEF

As this is the last week on the whole unit, I've never worked so fast in my life. I've had so many little jobs to get finished before hand in, I've not had time to stop and think for a minute. This week I've been creating two huge samples to pin up for hand in. The samples consist of two large digital printed backgrounds, one light and one dark. Then each have a large piece of organza sewn on top, so it gives a lovely layered effect. I have never worked on this larger scale before, so I have found it challenging with the work load this week. 

This has by far been the best work I have created yet, the quality has improved, I'm using new techniques, my colour pallet has expanded for the better and I'm working on a scale I never thought I would. I've taken a big risk this week by working on black organza, I didn't have time to experiment first to see if it looked good, but thankfully it does. If I had more time on this project, I would have liked to have drawn some visuals up of what it would look like on a garment, so for the next project I will have to plan my time better. 

WEEK 3: SELF-INITIATED BRIEF

I've been back in the dye lab this week, experimenting with puff binder on sheer fabrics. I wanted to create the same thick paint effects of that in my drawings, but because I'm using sheer fabrics, normal paint just seeps through. Puff binder, when mixed with paint, stays on the fabrics surface once dried. It doesn't go hard either, it's flexible and therefore would be ideal for women's fashion. My embellishments sit nicely on the puff binder too, making it a stable under layer. 

I did also give the heat press some experimentation, but this method hasn't worked out best for me because their are limited colours to use. Once the heat has been added to the fabric, the colours turn out neon, which are too bright for my colour pallet. Iv'e been back to my drawings this week too, my tutor and I decided that the drawings on graph paper worked out really well, and that I should create some more digital prints with this look. 

WEEK 2: SELF-INITIATED BRIEF

This week I've been researching fashion designers who work with embellishments and embroidery on colourful garments. Designers such as Ashish, Mryza De Muynck, Virginia Burlina and Delpozo. These designers have used similar colour pallets to the one I'm using, and all embellish on sheer fabrics. I would love to work for a company like Ashish when I leave university, I feel like my collection of work fits in with what they create. I'm planning on emailing their studios on London to ask for an unpaid intern-ship this summer coming, I feel like I would benefit a lot and learn so much from such a great fashion company. 

This week I've also had some digital prints designed from the paintings in my sketchbook. I've had them printed on Silk Satin, so that they fit nicely on the body. Silks very soft to the touch, and for the embellishments I plan to sew on top, it will create a movement effect. I've also been embellishing onto sheer fabrics such as silk organza, so that the parts I haven't embellished on, are transparent. So it will be visible if I place my digital prints behind the organza, for a layered look. here are some examples below of the samples I have been creating this week...

WEEK 1: SELF INITIATED BRIEF

I'm excited to start this last project of the unit, as it's a self-initiated brief so we can take our work in any direction we want to. I've decided to use this opportunity wisely and create work that I think my portfolio lacks, this being lots of colour, working on a bigger scale and the use of a new media. I've decided to work from images of flowers, clustered in little groups. 

I started drawing straight away, and began doing some research on other practitioners who work in a similar way. I liked the qualities of my drawings in the last unit, they were very free and had a lovely fine art finish to them. I like painting in a messy way, with these colour pallets I think the drawings work out well. Although the colours are quite pretty, I plan on working on top of them. One artist in particular caught my eye, called Alison Cooley. She paints in the method that I like, her pink and grey painting actually remind me of flowers. 

"Alison Cooley"

I've been creating similar paintings and drawings by using gouache paints, to create a fuller bolder colour. Although, instead of using the standard paint brush, I've been using items with sharp ends as drawings tools. In particular, a Stanley knife. I've painted on sheets of acetate, then layered them on top of other paintings which creates a very busty colourful drawings. Here are some images below on my own paintings, to which I can't wait to transfer them into samples...

WEEK 4: LIVE BRIEF

As there was still 1 week left of this 4 week project, I decided to use this week to finalise some new samples. The jacket is finished, but I wanted to push my denim samples further. I want to get away from those embellishments that I used from the first project, and try to create some new ones. 

I have taken other elements from the last project, and used them in this live brief. I enjoy embellishing and embroidering in clusters. I like to take advantage of composition and concentrate on one area in particular to make it look beautiful. I've also brought beading work into this project, and I will continue onto the next. It's a skill that I'm trying to practice, and learn new ways of using it.
The samples with a lighter background have worked out best in my opinion, with a splash of dark navy blue in the middle. It catches your attention better than the rest, and it causes your eyes to pay close attention to the detail surrounding the colour. 

For the self-initiated project, I want to explore colour a lot more than what I have been doing. I feel I lack colour experimentation in my portfolio, and would like to try and learn new things within the dye lab and really go to town with changing fabrics and making them my own. I also plan to hand embellish in the next project, I've been enjoying it and feel there's bigger and better things I can do with this media.

Women's fashion is still the direction I can see my samples heading in. Although I don't see my fabric samples being sold in the high street stores, I see them being used in detailed couture fashion houses. These hand embellishments take up a lot of time and require patient skill, which I have gained over the last few months. I've learnt the longer I take on a sample, the better quality it looks.