Areas of knowledge

Some books for this year: Patternmaking for Fashion Designers: Menswear by L.A. Knowles (2006); Singer Instruction Book (n.d); The Art of Boot and Shoemaking by J.B. Leno (2010); Fashion with Leather by K. Leather (1978)

This year is going to involve alot of learning as my collection involves menswear, knitwear and the construction of leather products. The knit component will consist of mostly machine knitted garments so will require experimentation, practise and expertise in this area. My choice of menswear will also require me to think differently about clothing the body and making sure to incorporate elements of subtly and attention to detail that are the hallmarks of successful menswear. Additional to using leather in garments I would like to develop accessories to compliment the collection so knowledge of leather goods design and production is also necessary and has been gained from work experience at leather-goods manufacturer Leo Monk. Consideration for sustainability will also run through the collection and will require specific knowledge about the implications of fibre, processing and design choices made in the collection.

All in all fun times ahead!

Concept Development

This is the poster I created to express the concept behind my collection for final year.  I made the image by layering two old country scenes with a piece of paper dyed with coffee. I then printed this image and stitched into it using wool and string, scanned that back into the computer and created the final poster. I hope that the title Narritives, expresses the sense of journey that I want to take with this collection, which will then be read and interpreted differently by different people, hence the plural. I will rewrite the text of the poster below for those that are interested to read it.

“Narratives is a men’s trans-seasonal range inspired by people’s relationship with the landscape as interpreted through art. John Wolseley’s collage works express landscape as a medium of journey and discovery which is expressed in the collection through the use of experimental drape, interior detail and innovative form. His work’s textural quality is also explored through the use of contrasting leather and knitted fabrics. Similarly textural, the photography of Danish artist Olafur Eliasson interrogates the transformative effects of natural processes such as melting and erosion. The Narratives collection explores this process through dying and wash experimentation, while the larger-than-life sculptural silhouette is inspired by the work of land artists such as Robert Smithson, Andrew Rogers and Andy Goldsworthy who use the landscape as both a canvas and source of materials for the production of large-scale sculptural forms. Finally it is the concerns expressed by many of these artists for the landscape as a result of human impact that has led to the development of this collection; by deriving colours from the industrial waste photography of J. Henry Fair and using sustainable techniques and materials to produce an innovative menswear collection.”