Unit X | Designer Research

During our tutorial last week Louise suggested that my drawings would work best as a strong placement print. I did some research on designers and placement prints to collect ideas on where and how they might be placed, before I start experimenting with my own designs.

I took a liking to three collections in particular; Tom Ford SS14, Holly Fulton Spring 11 and KENZO SS14.

I like these three collections in particular because of the shapes and drapes of the fabrics. Also, Tom Ford and Kenzo are largely black and white in colour, which makes them really relatable to our work.
Tom ford's collection in particular relates well to my concept of bandages with the lines incorporated in the print. I love the drape in the fabrics Holly Fulton used and the structure of the garments in the KENZO collection.

Locating | Louise Whitaker Advice

 The Locating unit is the perfect opportunity to branch out to people in the outside world. Previously I didn't feel confident enough to do this as I didn't have any applicable work worth showing. However, now that I have two completed Units of print design I feel I can be more assertive.

I came across Louise Whitaker's website and read that she graduated recently from MMU. Her work is really lovely and she has a long list of work experience and placements, and also works as part of a company now. I personally see myself going in a similar direction and working with a company, which is why I thought it might be useful to ask for some advice.
I thought I'd email Louise and see if she could offer any tips on life after Uni or anything I could be doing now to benefit myself in the future, as well as sending her links to my Pinterest incase she could give me any personal guidance.

 I was hoping to recieve a reply with maybe a few pointers or tips, but Louise's reply was more than I could have asked for. She gave such helpful and detailed advice that is not only useful for me but for anyone studying textiles in any specialism. I recommend anyone take the time out to read her tips in this email.

I was very lucky to recieve such a thorough response and for Louise to take such time out of her day. We have corresponded a few more times after this email and I feel confident that I would email her in future to ask for more advice if I ever become stuck in a project. She is so lovely and more than welcome to help me which I am very grateful for.

One of the points Louise made was to contact companies about placements and internships. I really want to put my foot in the door by doing work experience, however the fact I didn't have a creative CV was keeping me back. I decided not to avoid it any longer and to finally get it out of the way.
 Now I have a CV I can start sending it off to companies, finally!

Summer Inspirations | Part 2

The brief for this summer was to document things such as what you did and where you went, however my summer was rather normal and uninspiring. If I wasn’t at work I was out with my friends, I wish I could have done more activities revolved around Textiles but I just never had the time. I would have loved to go on an inspiring trip abroad however I went to Sunny Beach Bulgaria, and to be brutally honest culture and design was the last thing on my mind. Because of this I chose to focus on my weak points, such as knowledge of various artists and designers. I also wanted to look into pattern and colour because this is a huge part of print design which is the area I intend to specialise in. I feel I have used this summer to successfully broaden my knowledge and pathways and focus in on where I may want to go with my work.

Mary Katrantzou

I found Mary Katrantzou on Pinterest by happy accident and I’m really glad I did. She is a Greek fashion designer and her prints couldn’t be more suited to my interests and the direction I want to go in. They automatically caught my eye and not just the one, after researching her further there isn’t a design of hers I don’t love and wouldn’t wear myself – her SS11 collection is my favourite to date. She even collaborated with Topshop which is really wearable for the general public. Her use of colour fascinates me and I am infatuated with the way she creates prints using different components. She makes use of landscapes and buildings in some of her designs which I have never really been fond of myself but I have begun to see in a changed way. I am much more open and interested in looking at architecture and landscapes now I have seen how it can be changed. I will definitely be using Mary Katrantzou as inspiration many times in the future as I have fallen in love with her work.

I took inspiration from Mary Katrantzou and her SS11 collection by trying the mirror images trend. Over the summer I fell in love with ‘futuristic fashion’ prints, mirrored patterns and repeated images. I have seen this trend all through summer this year, and have purchased clothing myself that follows it. I didn’t have access to Photoshop at home and couldn’t do as much digital work as I would have liked to, however I found an app called ‘Mirrorgram’ which I played on a lot! I managed to come up with some pretty interesting designs using it. My favourites came from edited screenshots of my ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ for ALS. Although I feel I didn’t document my summer properly I’ve realised I have included some aspects of it, even just through trends I have followed and copied.