Styling Task!

Our task was to go to the high street and try and convince our chosen victim to wear something she normally wouldn't and write an report on it. Also include an questionnaire that the client has to fill in! This was quite an exciting task as i chose a girl called Laura who is always in blacks, browns and occasionally a little red. (right-Laura before and below that is Laura's look after)
I must admit I thought this was going to be a lot easier but when we actually got into the stores it was difficult to get started. We decided to go around together and I asked her to show me what she liked. She was drawn to black mostly so I encouraged her to try on blues and more reds as she was quite afraid of the hot pinks! Half an hour into looking around Laura got a burst of confidence and was willing to try on some more brightly coloured clothes. Pink scared her and I wanted her to put something on that was still a little alternative but comfortable for her. We found this pretty bright t-shirt in Top shop which terrified her but when she put it on she really liked it and said she felt happy. After this she was well away as when we where in Miss Selfridge she picked out some metallic blue leggings and I instantly thought this could work with the t-shirt we spotted earlier. She agreed to bring some colour into her life and go for this look which I thought suited her well! I decided that Laura should stay away from the colours beige, orange, yellow and gold as it would wash her out as she has quite a pale skin tone.
I really enjoyed helping her choose items and also accesories to match. It was awarding to see her step out of her normal zone and go to the extreme! I think over christmas i will give styling my mum or sister ago!

Buying and merchandising notes

23/10/09
Suppliers; works with retailer. Talks to the buyer/trainee buyer/merchandiser/garment tech.
A Merchandiser can also be named as an account manager. This is when you handle all the numbers and look after the retail products.
Suppliers could work in a separate factory to make garments.
Direct sourcing- ‘no middle man’
Importer/importing – An import is any good service brought in from one country to another country in a legitimate fashion, typically for use in trade.
It is more expensive to go through a supplier.
Tesco- more direct. Still use office.
Office can also be called a hub.
Sri Lanka- big office for next
There are retailer offices all around the world. (Cheaper)
License product- for example HSM would pay a small amount of profit to Disney.
For a change stores like Next bring in suppliers of different brand/ranges to move up the chain. They have brought in brands like Miss Sixty, Lipsy, Replay and Calvin Klein.
Topshop have lots of different suppliers.
Who’s feeding into garment supplier?
Suppliers source fabrics
Labeling and packaging- hangers/swing tickets
Braintrim uk LTD- supplier
Trim suppliers and packaging suppliers
Components- parts of garment
Strike off- one off print. It will be sent for approval
Greige state- correct weight, UN dyed. Not colored
Components;
Print
Swing ticket
Care label
Cord
Eyelets
Tabs
Logo label
Mesh
Size pip
Task – to find a jacket and list the components
Critical path- How going to get from A to B and on time. Use excels spreadsheet to plan this.
Bulk- what’s going into production? The real garment as your going to get it but in shed loads.
Lead-times
Fabric- 8weeks
Buttons-6weeks
Interfacing- 3weeks
Lining-6weeks
Care label/pips-4weeks
Swing tickets-4weeks
Elastic-3weeks
Zips-3months (YYK)
Polybags-3weeks
Thread-3weeks
Toggles-6weeks
It takes 3years to make a profit on your own buisness!!!

9/10/09. In Jo’s session this morning we learnt about different seals on clothing. Red seal – size set not right colour. Green seal-is pre product. Gold seal- is right and ready.
It was suggested that we should read the telegraph on a Saturday and Sunday times for knowledge. Learn the proper collar names. Next week we are meeting in the town centre to look around at the current trends in store. We are looking out for
Strong/key colours
Fabrics
Linings..Same colour as jacket?
Silhouettes - volume? Shape?
Styling details
Embellishment
Piping
Contrast stitching
Epaulettes
Collars and buttons
Short or long length
Care instructions
Swing tickets
Packaging
Price
16/10/09. We all meet Jo and Caroline in the town centre and were split in to two groups. We were put in a group with the other promoter in our team
Firstly we went into H&M which had;
New faux fur jackets and gilets
Lots of military
Double breasted coats
Cowl necks
Colours- greys, plums, blacks.
Fabrics- tweed, leather
Same colour stitching
Gold buttons
Epaulettes on shoulders
Price-mostly around the 40 pounds mark.
Next was Zara;
Fabrics- velvet, tweed, jersey
Faux Fur coming in on jackets and gilets (can’t wash the fur)
Military
Blazers
Big collars
Double breasted coats
Detailed leathers with studs.
Price- around the 60-70 pounds mark.
Marks and Spencer;
Fabrics- tweed, fur
Knitting patterns
Colours- black, greys, reds and deep purple
Sleeve head gathers
Parker coats
Price- around the 70 pounds mark
Next;
Gathered sleeve heads
Colours- blacks, reds, greys
Fabrics- suited, leather hounds tooth
Asymmetrical
Waist belts around jackets
Price- ranges from £45 to £80
Miss Selfridge;
Big eye catching collars
Colours – purples, blacks, blues, greys
Blazers
Frilly details on coats
Tie at the back on jackets
Fabric-leather
New look;
Turned up cuffs
Striped lining
Single one breasted buttons
Flap pockets
Very fitted
Blazers
Fabrics- leather, hounds tooth, faux fur
Colours- blacks, greys, blues
Price- £30 to £50
I really enjoyed walking around Bournemouth town browsing in all the shops. We did receive a few strange looks from the sales advisors. I decided to write all my notes on what I saw in my phone as didn’t fancy getting a note pad and pen out as probably get told to leave! Was really inspirational to see what’s in store at the moment. I hope we get to do this again.

Presentation on Business Plans

Our guest speaker was called Matt Desmier. He is the head of the enterprise unit.
He spoke to us about business plans and that he told us we need to be enthusiastic amd commit our idea to paper!
£35 per week to use an office and the meeting rooms. Internet access. Receptionist included in price who will answer all calls. Online support. Advertising opportunities.
Students can use enterprise workshops on a Wednesday afternoon.
Business plan- I have to follow it. Rough idea of what and where you want to go! It should be very detailed. For example.. 6months time need to do these 7things. Writing for self, what going to do? Who for? Why? How much it’s going to all cost? How going to get there?
How much want to earn? What need to do to earn this? Include overheads. Think about equipment? Studio space? Can always refer back to it!
There is a free business course (3day course) framework of business plans
Dry but interesting. Its run in Bournemouth. Look on the website to get number and ring up to book place. But don’t say your a student!!

Trend book

I am producing a trend book that fits in with our brief ‘Traces’. Using illustrator to create a digital book. The book will contain flat drawings and designs. In a trend book I can use random accessories that match my colour theme. For example head phone. Could use make up, architecture, objects and shaped images. Also vintage and jewellery. Whilst looking through Peclers and their trend books were very detailed with a title page with date and season, an index, the trend/theme mood board explaining where the idea and inspiration came from, colours/prints/Platte, fabric direction with swatches, accessories/shoes and information on trims and fastenings.
Premier vision – fabric forecasting (Paris)
Pure- is an exhibition in London. Buyers would source from here. Lots of boutiques.
Pitti filatti – yarn fair.knit wear. Trend predictions.
The entire above are totally separate from each other.
For images Flickr.com is really good for interesting pictures and is not dodgy you use them!

Welcome to year 2!!

We are back!! I feel that the summer has gone by so fast! The past week has been all about getting back into the uni life! I felt there was a lot to take in on the first few days back. My first thought when reading the brief was oh my god! When explained it become clear and now i feel more excited about this project. I love the fact of making our very own trend book. For the 'Traces' brief we have been put into groups...2 promotors and 3 designers! I am really pleased with our group and have had a couple of meeting so far which is helpful and quite interesting to see what everyone has been up to with their work towards the project.

Final post.....

Summing up....well what a 1st year!
I defiantly could have written more on my blog, especially last year. I can admit I forgot about writing on here as I was too busy settling in and getting on with other work. Excuse excuses!! I found when I started writing on here, it got into a sort of habit and then I started to enjoy doing so. I liked customizing my blog with images, changing colours and fonts the most. Even though it’s the deadline tomorrow I will carry on blogging as it is a good way to write down my thoughts and refer back to.
(Picture on the top right is me, Izzy and Lucy outside our studio!!)
I can’t believe the 1st year is not far from finishing. It’s gone so quick!! I have really enjoyed the first year, as learning about all aspects in the fashion industry has been very interesting. I do need to start thinking about what path I am going to take as next year will be based on one or the other. This is design or promotion. I absolute love studying in Bournemouth, the Arts Institute is a fab place to be, the beach and clubs are a bonus! And most importantly i have really improved on all my skills and met some awesome friends!! I am already looking forward to the 2nd year!!

Hussein Chalayan @ Design Museum!

Whilst being in London buying fabric i decided to go to the design museum as i knew the Hussein Chalayan exhibition was on. It was so interesting....the garments he had designed were absolutely amazing! He is renowned for an innovative use of materials, meticulous pattern cutting and a progressive attitude to new technology! His work is motivated by ideas drawn from disciplines not readily associated with fashion, crossing between anthropology, history, science, philosophy and technology.

A design that really stood out to me was the 'Inertia'. (picture above) Speed has become the essence of every area of life! This collection was envisaged as a sequence, beginning with the clothes carrying images of a car components and body cavities. The body became the 'event' of a crash where garments caught in the midst of speed embodied the cause and effect of a crash in one moment, with garments bearing images of wrecked cars and number plates.

Hussein Chalayan is truely one of the most visionary designers working in fashion today!!

Fashion V Sport Sketch Book

Here are a few design ideas from my sketch book.....

Fashion V Sport

I have decided to collaborate with ‘ellesse’. I chose this brand because I don’t see there clothes or even advertisement of them anywhere anymore, so I feel they need something different to get them back in the game! I’m looking forward to creating my own brand and designing a logo, this gives me a chance to be really artistic and experimental.
First of all I started to look at Lascoste and Chanels spring/summer collections, its always interesting to see what’s happening on the catwalk! I then started to think about extreme sportswear so I decided to look at snow boarding as I have never before. I really enjoyed flicking through snow boarding magazines; I ended up buying one called ‘cooler’ as the images of the snow style were great for my research. The colours of the combat trousers and patterned hoodies really stood out to me. It’s the bright colour against the white snow, I think it looks amazing! During my research I decided that I was going to go with a neon theme- my chosen colours were pink/orange and yellow. I really like bright colours and thought it would be fun to bring something I love into my designs. Whilst flicking through my research I remembered that at the V&A exhibition I brought some neon shoe laces for my trainers, so instead of using them for that I am going to use them as a tie fastening for my top! This will create a gathering at the front!
My final design to construct, is a off the shoulder 2in1 top with a pair of pink neon leggings. My whole outfit will be made out of lycra.

Toile Review

Last Thursday i had my toile review which I was quite worried about it but I thought it went really well and I found very helpful. I now feel so much better about my design. I was having difficulty choosing the right fabric for my design but after speaking to my tutors I knew exactly what I was going to buy. I made one leg of leggings in neon orange and the other in pink to see what I prefer, actually looks pretty good as two colours go well together. Izzy trying on my toile made me feel excited and now I’m really looking forward to making the real thing! I do need to make a few quite simple changes to my pattern, which I will do this week. Also I need to go and get my lycra! I then can start making......
Here are some pictures of my toile!

Creative Design and Promotion

For our Creative design and promotion unit our final project is called Fashion V Sport. For this project we create our own brand identity, with collaboration between my label and an existing sportswear brand to design and make an outfit. I will be Using sportswear influences and performance fabrics into my design and final project.
Sportswear has become an essential part of the modern wardrobe. Trainers and tracksuits are often more readily worn than suits!! The V&A

exhibition explores the create connections between the two worlds of fashion and sport. I thought the time we spent at the V&A was really valuable to us so I used it very wisely. I decided to take a sketch book with me which was very handy when it came to making sketches and notes.

Key trends for SS09!!!

This past month i have been looking through different magazines and checking out style.com to see what the key trends are for the summer and i noticed there was a hell of a lot of the colour orange, i saw loads of sexy flaming sunset shades which i think looks great with a nice tan also orange is a feel good colour. I find when i wear it, it makes me feel happy! Theres alot of it also on the catwalk....Lacoste has got an amazing orange low cut all in one with a hood!

Another trend i noticed was metallics, from brightly shimmering satins and silks to glittering sequins and embellishment. Some of these outfits which i saw on the catwalk look like they are made from metal. Prada had a gold dress which looked really creased so it certain angels the dress looked 3D. I think metallic is a ultimate must have for evening wear this summer!

I also saw quite a few nude coloured outfits which i think creates a mood of innocence and romance which is not really my thing. Soft colours dresses look fab on the catwalk. The designer Giambattista Valli showed a absolute stunning bare dress that really stood out from the rest.

Last but not least there was quite a bit of pattern clashing which was stripes with polka dots. Also floral and prints from around the globe. Then some bright colours chucked in on top of all that! I thought this style was really quite wacky but so interesting to look at. Also massive bags are still sooo in...but just in a brighter colour like orange!!!

Buying and merchandising....

left- directional. centre -seasonal trend. right-core

For a homework task we had to imagine that we were working for New Look and collect several images of different items of clothing from magazines. We had to then create a board to show a visual description of a typical new look customer. We made up a whole profile for our customer, this was fun and I did enjoy doing so. We arranged our board so one side you could see the product pyramid- the core, seasonal trend and directional garments and the other side was her life style which had a mixture of images...clothes/accessories/icons/holidays/make-up, mobile phone. This showed what sort of person she was. We also included text on our board as we felt it was relevant and blended well with our chosen pictures.

A little about Lectra....

When I was first introduced to Modaris, I was really impressed by how simple it was to digitise a pattern using a remote by clicking the right numbers/letters on the correct point. I enjoyed this part as after your finished the whole pattern appears on your computer screen. I found it amazing how you can change and complete your pattern using all the different tools that are provided, from adding on grain lines to reducing size of the pattern.

Lectra is the world leader in combined technology solutions. The CAD/CAM equipment and related services are dedicated to the fashion industry. Lectra serves its customers throughout the world in a broad array of major global market sectors such as fashion, automotive which includes car seats, airbags and interiors, furniture, aeronautical and marine industries.
Without the high tech computers, pattern cutting businesses would find it hard to survive.
Lectra helps cut costs, reduces lead time, develops secure communication and satisfies the expanding demand for mass production.

The customers that use Lectra are H&M, Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, BHS, Jimmy Choo, DKNY, Burberry, Monsoon, River Island and George!

I felt learning about Lectra has helped me to feel more confident in pattern cutting. I think it’s nice to have an option whether to create your pattern either by hand or computer. Also it’s a very good skill to have when going into the fashion industry as a multi skilled candidate is defiantly more desirable.

I did find it difficult to remember how to change the pattern in different ways as there was so much to information how to do all these different things. I realised an early night before hand is a must. I found the Modaris quick reference guide really easy to follow and look back on for when I got stuck as there are so many different parts to click on. I did enjoy using Lectra and I feel confident about using it again in the future.

Modelling for the 2nd years.

A couple of us were asked to model for a few of the second years. We had to walk and strike a little pose all together in these amazing coats they had produced. When they said about modelling i must admit i did feel really worried about doing it as it was in front of quite a few people and never modelled someone elses garment before. I felt there was a lot of responsibility involved. It was interesting to see the promoters work and I actually really enjoyed taking part. All the coats worked really well together...fitted perfectly together as a collection. Here is a picture of what us girls looked like....

Fashion Capital Presentation

For PPRD we were set a task to produce a powerpoint presentation about one of the fashion capitals. Me and Sophia chose Milan as we didn't know much about the fashion capital of Italy. I found it really interesting to find out facts and to see images of the amazing city. I would love to experience a city break here one day.

I feel our presentation went well. I think it was very simple but we talked about a lot of relevant facts and shown a good use of research. We also included the audience in our presentation with asking questions about the very well known artist Leonardo Da Vinci, it was really fun to have this slide. I do think we should of created a slide and talked in depth about a major event that takes place, which is Milan Fashion Week.

I found it most interesting to find out all the Italian Fashion designers, such as D&G, Gucci, Armani, Prada, Fendi, Versace and Valentino.

We enjoyed presenting and learning about Milan.