Personality Project: Day Six

Yesterday I was able to finalize all of my ideas so today I focused on moving these concepts into fashion. I started this by cutting out images relating to my themes and mixing them together create some really interesting and quirky garment shapes. I think this was successul and it was a quick and fairly simple way of mixing contrasting garments and themes in order to create a look that is completely new and exciting.

Inspired by these I drew some quick initial designs and then collaged my fabric samples into them to see how they could work together. This was successful because it helped to almost bring the designs to life and I immediately started to see how just from these few designs I could start to develop a collection.

I decided to look back at the research that I'd done on Frida Kahlo and the prints I'd created and started to think how I could use them in clothes. With the words torn, ripped and self destruction I made some more and cut them into sharp angular shapes. I then rearranged them onto a body, crumpled them and collage them with some fabrics. I really like these and I think to develop them more I need to do some work on the stand so I can see what actual shapes I could make with fabrics and how I would sew it.

At the beginning of this project, our tutors asked to write a story about our objects but I decided not to do that because I didn't really think it was relevant to me. At this time I felt that writing a short story could really help me to organize my thoughts. Although I have my themes clear I think it's interesting to tell a story with a collection with a clear beginning, middle and end. The story starts off sad, self destructive and depressing. The girl in the story turns the drugs, alcohol and partying to get away from this sadness, they were her way of escaping. In the end she starts to accept herself, and believe in herself. She's hopeful and is no longer scared.

I really like the story that I came up with and it's almost a metaphor for how I feel the last few years of my life have been. I think it has given me a focus for not only what I want my clothes to look like but also what I want the say and what I want people to think they see the clothes.

Next I looked through my fabric swatches and put them together in three groups to represent the three parts of the story. I thought about what their colours, textures and feel represented for me and how they related to the different emotions and thoughts i want each garment to portray. this was really useful for me because it forced me to think about what my clothes could actually look like. Doing this helped me turn my concept/story into and fully thought out idea for a collection

With the first part of my story in mind I did some work on the stand and took photos of which I will print off and design from tomorrow at uni.