HEW LOCKE

This week I visited the Hew Locke exhibition on display in the AUCB gallery.
It was really great exhibition featuring sculptures and drawings which were very intriguing. 
The sculptures on display looked very ritualistic and almost voodoo like and reminded me slightly of Marcel Duchamps 'found objects'. They were made up of a variety of different items which were vibrant and clashed with each other to create very loud but beautiful sculptures.
In the guide it was described as "a space in which mysterious objects are contained;ritual and votive objects, a secret space, a den, a play-house for the audience to journey their own minds".

FIRST YEAR

I found this mood board whilst looking over my blog from last year, this being the first piece of work I produced at AUCB, a punk mood board.

MoDIP BLOG

Our MoDIP team project is now on display in the AUCB library and a link to our blog is displayed on the website!

SHEPHERDS BUSH FABRIC SHOPS

I read an article about council plans to redevelop the area surrounding Shepherds bush market.

I think this would be devastating news to a lot of fashion students and also young designers who depend on the area to find cheaper sources of fabric. 

The article said that the market which has about 150 traders would be forced to shut down within 5 years if it was not redeveloped.

ON|OFF Fashion video

A likely vehicle of inspiration for Fashion as a Forum...


ON|OFF TV

TOILE REVIEW 2

TOILE REVIEW 2

Today was my second toile review and I'm starting to feel a bit happier about my collection. I made all the changes that were brought up in the last review and a few things still need tweaking here and there but I can now look forward making the real garments. 


A few things I still need to change are:

• The length of my skirt and dress
• Exaggerating the 3D feature on my corset
• Creating a better fit for my jacket
• Exaggerating the shape around the bust of my top.

I plan to get at least one of my patterns completely finished by the end of this week so I can buy my material and begin making next week!

FASHION AS A FORUM TUTORIAL

Today I had a tutorial with Sarah James for my Fashion as a Forum unit. 

After showing her a draft of my introduction she told me things I needed to add such as a summary of the essay as a whole and explaining why the subject is important. 

We also discussed what direction I should take my research as I had a couple of ideas that were quite different and would have been hard to discuss in only a 2500 word essay.

My ideas were;

• To discuss the effect New Media is having on shopping. 
• Comparing how New media is utilized in high fashion in comparison to high street fashion.
• Why Fashion film is becoming an increasingly growing trend.

I've decided to focus on the last point, why fashion film is becoming an increasingly growing trend, as I will be able to look into the history of fashion film The growth of internet and social networking, and how film is used to exhibit the mood and ethos of a brand rather than the clothes for sale.

SALVADOR DALI EXHIBITION

Whilst in Prague I visited a Salvador Dali exhibition in the White Unicorn gallery in the Old town square.

Exhibited where a collection of Graphics, pottery and sculpture all displayed across several different rooms.

The atmosphere in the gallery was very welcoming and well lit. The space was quite tight as opposed to open plan which I think gave good flow to the sequence of the art work.
Each room seemed to display a group of work from the same collection of pieces as there seemed to be a coherent flow from piece to piece.

I found the pieces to be very inspirational in terms of colours and also for illustration style. I loved the use of mixed media.

BRANDING EXERCISE

In todays session we discussed the importance of branding and how it can be used to represent a company.

We looked at a lot of recognizable logo's that can be identified by just one letter and it reminded me of an image I found on the internet.

It shows how the Pepsi and Coca Cola logo has changed since 1885 and obviously how the coca cola logo hasn't changed at all. This displays to me the importance of branding and if you get it right the first time how a company can grow around it.

we were put into groups of three and had to create our own logo which represented all of our characters and design styles.

The logo was made of a combination of; an animal, a shape and a line.

As a group we decided our logo should be feminine, ethical and with a slightly vintage feel.

I think our logo began well but we quickly steered into a very rural looking outcome. The exercise has definitely got me thinking how I could brand my own designs.

DRAPERS RECORD

'EGYPT RIOTS EFFECT UK STOCK DELIVERIES'
Today I read in the latest  Drapers record about how the Riots in Egypt will effect stock deliveries. The article said that the riots have caused some of the textile factories to slow production or even close and they are also causing a disruption to transport. Also there is no internet so paper work needed for shipping is unavailable.

Some of the clients affected include Marks & Spencer, Primark and Arcadia. 

The article also mentioned how growing unreliability of production overseas has put pressure on premium and mid market retailers to look for new suppliers in the UK.


'VALUE BEFORE TREND SHAPES WOMENSWEAR'
This article really interested me as I remember reading in the spring 2011 issue of Drapers that Womenswear indie brands wanted to maintain a point of difference from the high street by making bold spring 11 buying decisions.


It would seem the story has now changed as the current article was saying how buyers were concentrating on keeping their current customers satisfied, so they would be buying into what they felt comfortable with rather than what they felt was risky.


"customers aren't looking for throwaway fashion so it's not so important for indie brands to be fighting against high street"


It also said how Teenagers - mid 20's were suffering financially and that a better market is between mid 20's - late 30's

TOILE REVIEW 1

Today was my first Toile review for my professional project and it seems I have a lot to work on still. 

My ideas seemed to come across well but I need to work on the construction of most of my garments. 

I presented most of the fabric samples I sourced in London and have now chosen which fabrics I will use for each outfit. 

PROFESSIONAL PROJECT 1st TUTORIAL

This was my first tutorial with Kern and Pat to discuss the ideas I have for my professional project. After already spoken to Sarah James I have decided to take her advise and focus on revolutionary ways of modifying the body and also how the ideals of the perfect body has changed. 

They prompted me to look into using lectra for parts of my pattern making as they suggested this could link to my subject as well as 3D prototyping on virtual bodies. This is something That I will definitely look into for my research but one thing I mainly want to focus on is my choice of fabrics. I want present a range of different textures in my collection with very neutral fleshy tones with an accent of red.

COUTURE CORSET WORKSHOP

IS THERE A FUTURE FOR BRITISH FASHION?

I think the current economical climate will have some serious effects on the future of the British fashion industry. 

 Although after reading an article in Drapers on how events around the world can effect the production of clothing it seems that this may boost UK manufacturing as it is a more reliable source.

This could also be a result of a better carbon footprint. British based supplier may contribute to more ethical production of clothing as it will cut the amount of transport involved and avoid the use of slave labour.

I also think with the increasing difficulty for graduates to find jobs the younger fashion market will be less desirable to companies as there may be more money in a slightly older market.

3D DESIGN WORKSHOP

PROFESSIONAL PROJECT IDEAS

I have begun research into my professional project and at first I was struggling to come up with ideas. I began by looking through some photography books I have and found some really interesting images relating to the human body.

I'm not yet sure how I will link this to the theme of revolutionary but I'm hoping my ideas will develop into something more solid with a bit more research.

NOT JUST A LABEL

NOT JUST A LABEL

I found this website whilst researching Suzanne Lee who is a Senior Research fellow at Central St Martins and is proposing alternative methods of producing, natural, environmentally friendly clothes

There is an article on the website about her current research project which aims to address ecological and sustainability issues around fashion...

BIO_COUTURE

The material used to create these pieces is completely natural bacteria created my mixing a green tea solution with a sugar solution and yeast where it begins to form fibers creating a leathery like layer.

There is also a good jobs section were positions and vacancies are promoted for full time work and internships.

FINISHED DRAPE DESIGN

This is the finished product of my draping project. 

DRAPING BOOKLET CONTINUED

For these pages of my booklet I have used some of the photographs I took whilst draping on the stand. 

I have used the images to document my progress and included a brief description of how I achieved each stage.

There is also a page showing my final pattern outcome and how I would develop my design into a collection.

MoDIP PRJECT HAND IN

GROUP BLOG

This is the finished product of our group project for PPRD2. It was a really good way of developing team skills, and when I deduct all the stress it caused me, I actually had a really good time working with the people in my group.

After I began my research into the 'kooky' items that could be sold alongside the stair clips, we decided to design a range of stair clips for a more modern customer base. 

We used the images I found as inspiration for colours, shapes and patterns. 


This exercise has prepared me well for if I ever have to work in a team in the future. I think the subject of our project was difficult to get enthusiasm for so it was nice to be able to work in groups which made everything slightly more fun.


I felt most pleased at the end of the project before we handed it in when we could see all of our combined efforts as one outcome. All the members of my team get on really well as classmates so it was easy for us to work as a team. 

DRAPING BOOKLET CONTINUED

I have continued work on my draping booklet and these pages feature historical patterns I found whilst researching. 

I used a model to recreate the designs and I think the pages will look really good in my manual.

MADALEINE VIONNET EXHIBITION

Dior illustration exhibition

'Rene Gruau created some of the most instantly recognisable and enduring fashion and beauty images of the 20th century. His iconic illustrations defined an era, capturing a new mood of post-war modernity and optimism. His Bold lines and fluid style, simple flat planes of colour and daring use of negative space set a new graphic style and influenced a generation of illustrators.'

Yesterday I visited the Dior illustrated, Rene Gruau exhibition at Somerset House. It's the same gallery as the Show studio exhibition that I visited last year but the space was used in a very different style.
It was open plan and in quite a small narrow space with the illustrations arranged on the walls. 
The lighting was quite dim in comparison to other exhibitions I have been to with no natural sunlight but this worked really well in setting an appropriate mood. 
The work was arranged by date starting with some more early illustrations.
This exhibition will be a likely vehicle of inspiration for my draping book when it comes to my own illustrations. I especially was inspired by the silhouette and negative space.