INDUSTRY PROJECT; WEEK ONE

Day One; introduction to industry project

Today was the start of the Industry project where we were put in to groups of six and given a different brand to "work for". Our group was given Burberry, and we have to design and promote their Autumn/ Winter 2014 line. Each of us have been given different roles within the group where we will have to plan every detail that will go on for the development of Burberry AW14.

We started by coming up with a concept board that explained each role within the group and the overall theme of the project. I decided that I would be best suited to doing the promotional side for Burberry as their are more confident and better designers within the group. My role within the group is to plan the catwalk show and the events for Burberry AW14. I think that this is a good role for me as of course I have an interest in fashion but I also have a passion for interior design etc so that will link in quite well with this role. 

Once we established who would be what within the group we were given a quote to help us come up with a theme/ concept for our collection. 

‘there are massive gaps in this essay, it is broken and re-wound,

not always knowing and yet searching.

Respond, Exchange, Converse.

Be a traveller in this novel,

Even if only for a while.’

‘All that is solid melts in to air, all that is holy is profaned, and men at last are forced to face with sober sense the real conditions of their lives and their relations with their fellow men.’ (The Communist Manifesto)

At first when we looked at the quote we were drawn to the lines "not always knowing and yet searching" and "Be a traveller in this novel". This sort of led to this idea of looking at the way social class used to be perceived in the 19th and early 20th century; where the poor people were at the bottom and the rich were at the top. This gave us an idea that some designs would be fairly plain and simple with a greyscale colour scheme and then some would be more intricate and developed with richer colours used. This gave me the idea that for the runway show, the looks that come out first would be the more simplistic styles and then as it goes the show gets richer and deeper within the collection. We also realised that it is important that we maintain a very British feel with our collection, and we wanted to sort of focus on the idea of nature etc.

I created an overall mood board of images for the group so that we could get a feel for Burberry and things that we need to consider for our collection. 

I think that our idea is good however we thought about a bit more after monday and realised that we hadn't really got much to go on in terms for the design so we were messaging back and fourth as a group and re-looked at the quote. Johanna came up with the idea of looking at british paganism and the worship of nature as their is a line in the quote "all that is holy is profaned". We all liked the idea and so our concept is still similar to before but now we have more to go with and it gives all of us a bit more to go on in terms of our individual roles. This has solved the problem of all of us being a little confused as we didn't have an image/ word that gave us a clear image in our head of what we are going to use for our Burberry collection.

Before thursday I have started working on my sketchbook and made mood boards for my role of the catwalk and events so that I can show the group some of my ideas. I've also done some more research in to Burberry and it's history so that I have more of a feel of them as a brand. I also researched a bit in to british paganism as I wasn't completely sure about it so that I know that I am doing the right thing for our group. I have held back a bit on doing too much in my sketchbook incase ideas change or I do something that doesn't work with our concept. 

So far I am excited about this project; I like that we are working in groups as we can bounce ideas around and it's nice to see what other people are thinking. I think I have a really good group and we are all confident with our roles so I think that this could be a really successful project for all of us. It is only a two-week project so I can imagine it is going to be very jam-packed so I need to make sure that I keep on top of my work (which I am normally quite good at) so that I can keep up to speed with everyone else and have really good work and idea development for the presentation at the end. 

Final Photoshoot

Final Fashion Film

WEEK SEVEN

Knitting Week

Day One; learning the basics, working with the machine, creating samples

Today we started knitting week by learning the basics and how to set up the machine. At first I found it all a bit tricky and I was quite slow at the beginning however after a while I began to get more used to it. Normal knitting became easy but some of the other samples we were asked to create were a bit more fiddly and hard to get used to.

Other samples we created today were "drop stitch", "lace hole", "honeycomb" and "cable knit". When we were first shown how to do them I thought that it was going to be really hard as you have to use a special tool and pull different needles out of the machine. "Drop stitch" and "lace hole" looked tricky to do but actually it was quite easy and we used these techniques to create different patterns and shapes on our samples. Cable knitting was one of my favourites although it was probably one of the hardest to do as it involved using the control tools and swapping the yarn over each other. The hard work paid off though as it looked really nice once you had finished. 

We made a diamond shape for one sample which I liked as it was nice to be able to make different shapes within our samples. Once I made the diamond shape, Freya and I attempted to make a heart shape using the same technique however completely forgot that we couldn't go back further down the knitting to make more holes so it didn't really work out the way we wanted it to.

Day Two; more samples, working with the hold button, using two coloured yarns

Today we carried on with making more samples and we learnt some new techniques. The techniques we learnt today was "stripe", "orange peel", "volcano", "circle", "waffle", "weaving" and "fringing".

Some of them seemed quite difficult when we were being shown how to do them but with lots of concentration I managed to do them all quite well. However was a bit disappointed when I cast off after making my "orange peel" to find lots of holes in it because I thought it was going well at first and wanted it to look really good so that was a bit disappointing. Fringing was also a little confusing as you had to use a ruler to make the loops and I found this difficult as it was hard to keep everything steady and accurate however afterwards it looked really effective. 

Today we focused on more 3D knitting samples, I think it's really clever that you can create really interesting shapes using a knitting machine and by simply putting the machine to different settings to do it. We also started to introduce another coloured yarn, I thought this was going to be hard but once we were shown how to do it, it was actually really straight forward. If i had more time than I would want to experiment with using two colours in different ways other than just stripes to create patterns and shapes.

Weekly Review

Overall I found this week a lot better than I thought I was going to. My previous experiences with knitting were never that successful so I wasn't really looking forward to this week to begin with. Although I did find some of the samples rather tricky, others worked really well and I'm pleased at how my samples have come out. Knitting was hard at first but it got easier as I got more used to it. 

It was fun to start working with more than one colour because you get to see some of the samples and techniques more clearly. With the "orange peel" technique I would have liked to be able to take it further if we had more time so that it could become more of a spiral shape. My favourite samples were the cable knit and the diamond shaped holes as they are both very neat and although simple they are very effective.  

WEEK SIX

Digital Print Week

Day One; learning the basics of photoshop, repeat patterns

Today was all about learning the basics of photoshop so that by the end of the week we are able to create a digital print that relates to our family history. I have found today quite easy as I have used photoshop before so I had some idea of how to use some of the tools, however it was nice to be able to learn some new things so that I could use it better. I've always been interested in photoshop and editing but I haven't really known how to use it properly so now I feel a bit more confident on how to use it.

We started by do simple repeat prints with a dot. At first we just started with one dot and then built up on this by introducing different coloured dots and different positioning  to give it different effects and make it look a bit more exciting. 

Once we had finished doing the repeat prints with a dot, we made a check repeat pattern and then expanded on this further by adding more shapes such as diamonds and circles. We also started experimenting with more colours and changing the opacity of certain shapes so that it  gives a different effect to the overall print. It means you can see some of the shape that is underneath the one that is on top. 

We then started playing around with images of flowers and cut them out from the back ground so that we could repeat them in a pattern. We changed the colour and layout of the flowers and then placed them over one of earlier dot repeat patterns to make more layers and a more interesting print. We were then showed how to turn one of the flower shapes in to a paintbrush tool so that we could repeat the shape over and over in different colours and textures. 

This day went well and I think my basic prints were fairly successful. It was good to learn how to use photoshop properly and so far I am looking forward to the rest of the week. 

We have been asked to start thinking about what sort of print we would like to make that links with our family history. I think I want my print to incorporate something that resembles my old house; it holds many memories because it is where I spent my childhood and it was a big step to leave it. 

Day Two; more photoshop skills, editing images, placing prints on to garments

Today we learned how to create a pattern and put it on to clothing. We started with an image of a cloud and edited it it by making the background one plain colour and changing the positioning of the clouds. I then added roses over the clouds and started putting the pattern on to garments and then playing around with different effects to change the colours and look of the overall pattern on the dress.

I really enjoyed making the patterns to place on the dresses and editing them to get different colours and effects. They look more realistic and exciting on a garment than just the basic pattern. 

We then began starting on work for our own final digital prints. On our self-directed study day I started doing some research in to my family history and decided I wanted it to be based around ideas from my old house. I started by finding some images of the exterior and then doing some drawings of it and the details within the brick work and surroundings. I then scanned some of these in to photoshop and started playing around with these rough ideas to see how they would look on a garment. 

I really liked some of the colours of these prints and thought they looked really effective on the garment. For friday I am going to develop my print further so that it starts to look more original and interesting. 

Tate Modern Exhibition

ENERGY AND PROCESS

WILLIAM EGGLESTON

"I don't have a burning desire to go out and document anything. It just happens when it happens. It's not a conscious effort, nor is it a struggle. Wouldn't do it if it was. The idea of the suffering artist has never appealed to me." (O’Hagan, 2004, www.theguardian.com)

William Egglestone's work is part of the Energy and Process exhibition taking place at the Tate Modern. Simon Baker and Shoair Mablian have curated the exhibition.

William Egglestone's photographs are set out around the room in square black frames and they are placed at eye level so you are completely drawn in straight away. The theme of his work is "Life Today"; the photographs include elements of his particular style such as bold colours, interiors, cars and petrol stations as well as portraits of strangers in the street. The vibrant colours are contrasting with vivid reds, blues, and greens. The striking bold colours are particularly interesting in an image of an old fashioned petrol pump as the bright greens and reds contrast with the natural beauty of the trees casting a shadow over the background and then the sunlight coming through from the bottom corner showing the warmth.

This photograph shows how life today is battling the differences between nature and the human man. It shows everyday surroundings and the differences between the old and new, it clearly captures his world and his hometown. “Chrome is a selection of images from 1969-74 using Kodachrome or Ektachrome film, while Election Eve was taken during the run up to the 1976 presidential election and records a road trip around Plains County and Sumter County, Georgia, where Jimmy Carter's campaign headquarters were based.” (Baker & Mavlian, 2013, plaque) Therefore his work is retrospective as the photographs are mainly from a road trip so it is looking back on what he had seen.

This particular exhibition is inspiring even though his photographs are simplistic, the attention to detail and photographic style make them much more impactful. The locations and settings of the photographs would be perfect for fashion photo shoots and films, particularly the one of the road trip as it would be an ideal location for an editorial.

Bibliography

Exhibitions

Energy and Process, Tate Modern. 03/10/2013

Websites

O’Hagan, Sean (2004). Out of the ordinary. [online] London, The Guardian. Available at http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2004/jul/25/photography1 (Accessed on 03/10/13)

Plaque

Baker, Simon and Mavlian, Shoair. (2013) Energy and Process. London, Tate Modern.

WEEK FIVE

Final Piece Inspiration Week

Day One & Three; working on final piece, mood boards, concepts, ideas, inspiration

For our final piece we have been given two options. If you are more a fashion design student then you have to make something and do either a photo shoot or a film for your final accessory/ garment or whatever it might be. If you are more on the promotion side then you don't have to make something but you have to do a photo shoot and a film. 

After having a one to one tutorial it was clear to me that I was definitely more a fashion promotion student and so this week I've been focusing on coming up with ideas for my final photo shoot and film. At first I had no idea of what sort of thing I wanted to do and I found the thought of creating a film a little daunting. I love photography and styling and coming up with ideas for photo shoots but I decided to focus more on the film this week as I knew I would find it harder. I've never really made a film before (not even a home movie) let alone a fashion film! 

I started the week by creating a spider diagram of some ideas for my film, I keep picturing either a grand house with a beautiful staircase or a big green landscape with a girl in a long dress and maybe a veil or something to cover her face. This project is all about ourselves and so our final piece needs to support that. For my film I imagine the theme to sort of be about a girl who feels lost or broken/ trying to find themselves. This is why I want there to be something over the face to sort of distort it so that it's as if she can't see clearly.

I've seen lots of examples of fashion films and a particular one that always sticks out in my head is one that they made on America's Next Top Model a few years ago. I don't know why but it always just pops in to my head. I remember watching the episode a few years ago and thinking how good this little motion editorial was. This was the first fashion film I'd ever really seen. I always watch it and just love the feeling that it has. 

Here are just a few screenshots from the film but the link for the whole thing is 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVIEIuPm_ns

I love the simplicity of the overall film and this is something that I want to try and create with my fashion film. Although the overall concept is simple the use of location and styling brings a little something extra. 

For my photo shoot I don't want it to be identical to the film by using the same outfits etc. but I think so that they link together a bit more I will use the same/ similar location with a variety of different outfits that show off my personal style. I think the photo shoot should have a dark sort of feel to it. 

Day Two; film workshop, story boarding

Today we had someone come in to teach us about film. We started off by watching some fashion shows and films from brands and names in the industry and we were also shown some work from students who did a summer course that put together a fashion film in a day. 

In the afternoon we did some storyboarding where we had to make a film on paper in groups of four. My groups concept was all about the history of Chanel and how the brand became what it is today. It was basically a "Chanel; through the years" film. Once we had finished we had to show everyone our boards and see what they thought we were doing without us telling them. Most people knew exactly what would come at each stage in our video so I think that we were successful as our storyboard did all the talking an people knew exactly what it was. I think we had a really good concept and we all worked well together in our group as we are all fairly similar and have similar styles and way of working so it was easy to find something that we all agreed on.