I feel this unit has been a good
progression from practice.
I wanted to solely use natural dyes,
which has been challenging but rewarding. Although it has been a time consuming
process I am pleased that I persevered and am happy with the results; I feel I
have managed to achieve a good colour balance across my collection.
The addition and removal of colour with
bleach and overdyeing and the layering of foil are other aspects that I have
spent time developing. As a refinement to the use of lace in my work I have
explored stencilling foil to add feminine details. I really like the effect of
this technique although I feel it is still not fully resolved and could be
extended to make more of an impact.
Using the finer gauge dubied has
allowed me to broaden the qualities of the fabrics in my collection. The fine
knit viscose has a lovely drape and sheen to it, providing a good contrast to
the heavier/ flatter wools. Embellishing different fabrics together has also
worked nicely and has good potential for further development.
I have focused mainly on developing
garments this unit, working on the stand to explore different shapes and ideas, building on what I learnt in practice. Although I was
pushed for time at the end I managed to produce the two garments I outlined in
my learning agreement. I am not entirely happy with the tunic garment, as it
does not hang as well on the body as I would like. I think this is due to the
viscose being heavier than the fabric I toiled with. As I did not foresee this I
have not had time to re-knit the side panels to correct it, better planning and
time management was needed here. I do like the details on the garment though
and am pleased with how well it works with the garment I made in practice.
I worked more intuitively with the 2nd
jumper style garment and produced it in a shorter amount of time but I feel it
is the more successful. It has a good impact of scale and I like the balance between
the weight and silhouette and the more delicate detailing on it.
The photoshoot was another key
element to developing a professional finish to my work. I kept the styling
simple and let the shoot flow naturally, reflecting my overall concept. The
model and photographer were both very helpful as well with ideas for the shoot
and I am really happy with the photos. Having done this photoshoot I feel much
more confident with the styling and direction of my work.
I have kept in mind the context for
my work throughout the unit, looking to other designers working unconventionally
in Menswear for inspiration. Bethany Williams and Suzanna James are both young
designers who work sustainably within a menswear context, I admire both of them
as their work is innovative and contemporary but is underpinned with conscious
design. This is how I would like my own practice to develop and I think the
work from this unit has been a good step forward to achieving this.
