500 word evaluation

This is just about how my project went, did I enjoy it, what would i do to improve etc.

Throughout this project I have faced a number of obstacles which haven’t exactly been easy. It wasn’t an interest to make a garment based upon everyday objects. Yet I can see why it is a huge part of fashion. It helped me to broaden my mind when it came to fashion. The idea that I could communicate my idea’s on life through a garment. Unfortunately it wasn’t an easy subject for me and I found it extremely difficult. I wouldn’t see myself as an imaginative person and making something that I see every day made me lose interest. I think I could improve on a lot in this project, even though I had no interest in doing so, it was clear I had no determination in this project and that is something I deeply regret. I should have put a lot more effort than what I did. In industry there aren’t always going to be topics you like, and don’t achieving what I’d of wished for in this project has set me back. I should have spent more time studying the whole aspect of recycle and the idea behind it, instead of researching only people who inspire me. Although I had done a few samples to the upcoming of my garment I should have produced more and shown how I had gotten to that stage. On the other hand the best part of the project was the fashion shoot; it was my first having a go at art directory and it was something I enjoyed. So from this project I can say I have learnt a lot and made a lot of mistakes. But now I can learn from these mistakes and make sure I do not make them again. But I have to be completely honest in this evaluation. I did not enjoy this project and cannot see this being a career or an interest of mine. I could have spent more time taking objects and drawing them and seeing them for what they truly are and the aspects behind them. I made my garment from curtains as I thought I needed something that would be easy to design from. And I think that was another mistake I made. I made my garment out of something I had no interest in and something that I see almost every day and it can become quite un-interesting.  As I was the first project back I found it extremely hard to get back into and I can assure I will not be making any of these mistakes again. I have gained skills, lost marks and a lot of respect in myself within this project. I failed myself and am very disappointed. I have learned to realise though that anything can become a fashion statement and that not everything has to be made from the obvious. But I have learned now that I am better with the right materials to create something new and exciting, rather than taking something old and making it into something different.

Photoshoot and final garment

This project was all based upon recycle, and the task was to create a garment out of an item that is used in every day life. So I chose a basic item, curtains. I took them, manipulated them into creating this beautiful garment. I wanted it to be based also upon Autumn and all of the colours. The shoot was taken in Lymm, Warrington, and was all in all a beautiful outcome.  

 

 

 

Samples

These are my samples for this project. I only used the method of pleating on my garment, so I simply based my sampling on that.

 

 

This is one of the pleats I enjoyed doing as apart of my sampling. It was really easy to use and is called a box pleat. I think in the near future I will look more into this. It was easier to do than a standard pleat.

Wool - This material was fairly easy to pleat but the effect didn't look great because of the material being to thick.

 

 Nylon - I loved this material, it was so easy to pleate and went straight through the sowing machine with no problem. Plus the material left a great effect.

 Silk - This material was terrible to use. It went through the machine to easy and was slipping and slidding everywhere. Didnt pleat easily and was hard to keep together.

 Denim - The material itself was a bit thick. Was very hard to pleat with the material being to heavy. But on the upside left a hard shadow with great effect.

 Cotton - This material did not work as well as i would have suspected. It was hard to pleat as the material was so thin.

This is a layered pleat. Just a pleat upon another pleat. It gives great effect and adds lots of volume.

Observational Drawings (Secondry)

 These are all my observational drawings. I tried to go for a more abstract look using ink rather than a pencil or paint. I think I have gave it more effect by doing this and it's different than something you normally see. The top pictures are my drawings I created. And the pictures underneath them are what I drew from.

Illustrations

 Love heart shaped dress, with plenty of lovely Autumn colours. This dress contains a waistband for different sized waists. Zip on the right hand side and one down the centre back. See through skirt but very descrete.

 Peter pan colar dress. Puff ball skirt with lots of volume added. Rolled up sleeve to create a casual yet safisticated look.

 This dress is inspired from Gary Harveys Cushion Cover dress, but with my own interpretation. Autumn colours sticking to the starting point. The bottom half of the dress to look like leaves.

Lovely maxi type dress. Silhouted towards the bottom halves with a cut out across the bust. A trail of fabric along the bottom to create effect.

 Simple yet elegant. A shadowed effect. Sleeveless dress with yet another waistband across the waist to suit any size. This is the design I will be using.

 Using the same colours, but this time with a different type of effect using an extra piece of fabric across the back so the bottom half of the dress is un even.

 Peplum top across the top half of the dress, and along the bottom half ragged uneven different lengths. All the way down to the bottom trailed.

 Sleeve dress but opposite colour from bodice. Pleated bottom half of dress but still sticking to the colour schemes.

 

More of an absract style compared to the others. It is supposed to represent the leaves changing colours throught out the change of Autumn.

This is more of a simple dress. Sort of like a skater dress with little effect but quite girly and ditsy.

Moodboard

This is my secondry mood board for reclaim and recycle, i somehow wanted to fit autumn in with my dress and thought that it would be a great idea to get my idea's across with a mood board.

This is my primary moodboard. I have took photo's of things around me that inspired me and yet still managed to link towards my project.

Research

About this project:
Reclaim recycle is all about using different idea's and concepts. To expand your idea's on different materials, skills, artists. The idea that you can make fashion out of anything you like.

Research:

Designers:

Nancy Judd:
Nancy Judd is a famous fashion designer, but uses recycled materials to create her garments rather than any materials. her work is amazing and has done a lot of commissions and exhibitions for different famous companies. She uses her work as a speech to the public she wants them to take one look at her work and to take it in that recycling is serious and for them to maybe help out because recycling can become as beautiful as the garments she creates.
she's done a number of commissions such as:

Delta airlines - This garment took 175 hours to create and was made from six leather seat covers which Delta airlines use upon their planes. Also the cape she used was made from old unwanted plane tickets.
Lincoln city - This took 165 hours to create and was made from 100 plastic bags. It is meant to be inspired by jellyfish.
Toyota - This had taken over 150 hours to make and was made from 10 pounds of wire from beneath the hood of the cars.
Coca - Cola - This garment took 135 hours to make and was made from 1,000 coke cans. They were then sewn onto the garment and has had over 12 million views.

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Gary Harvey:
Gary Harveys artwork is simply beautiful. Just by looking at his work you can tell a lot of time and initiative has been put into them. He has a broad memory of imagination and idea's he brings to these garments. He creates things that have never been seen before and makes them exciting!
These are some of this garments:
Cushion Covers - This garment is simply beautiful and one of my all time favorites in this collections. although it would have been easy to sew up and create, the design is different and unique and that is what I love about it.
Rugby Tops - This garment was made from a number of jersey tops. I find it really interesting as not only will it take the eyes of women, but it is something men can also enjoy. He's took a highly promotional sport and made it into something beautiful.
Trench Coat - This dress was made from tens of trench coats. I love the effect they have on this dress, sort of a 1920's look and it shows you can make a garment out of anything and yet it can still link towards a fashion era.
Levi Dress - This dress was made from hundreds of Levi jeans. It gives this kind of work wear look. Jeans used to be a work wear for men, and it's as if he's brought it right back into this era and made it a fashion trend.

Artists:

Ha Schult -
Ha Schult is most famous for his art work of 'trash men'. they have traveled the world, trying to give the people an idea that recycle is a serious business, and if we keep on littering and not attending with our rubbish the right way, we are 'trash people'. It's not only trash people he created. He created a hotel made completely out of trash. so that when people visit they know the idea's and concepts behind it. Lots of famous people have visited the hotel to promote the ideas of recycling.

Clare Graham - This man is an inspirational artist. He wants his work to be different. For people to walk by and say 'wow, look at that, how different'. I love artists who spend their time creating new and exciting things. Things people have never seen before. Almost making people feel excited and it changes everything within the art world. Without it we wouldn't have fashion. Art is fashions starting point and using recycled materials shows us as humans that nothing has to go to waste. I love Clare's work, simply because it's different and the way in which he has used it to create beautiful work.
This first picture is made totally out of soda cans! It's unique and yet very different and gives it a great effect instead of looking like ordinary trash.

This next picture is a table made out of tin cans. At first I thought it looked like coins, old copper coins, but still either way it's a great look!

He was raised in Toronto in Canada. Yet he still manages to perform entertainment as well as creating these wonderful pieces of art work. The thing about recycled projects is that everyone in the fashion or art industry is that it can lead to the same idea's. But pieces of art work like this shows it doesn't always have to follow the same procedures. It can be completely different to the usual idea's people come up with.


Companies which recycle their clothing:

H&M - In the fall of 2011, h&m became the largest buyers for organic cotton in the world. They launched there first ever organic collection in 2010 and called it the 'Garden Collection'. A year on they launched the 'Conscious Collection' which was also made from organic cottons. Recently this year produced yet another organic collection, but for the signature red carpet look. The idea yo could look like a celebrity and still be able to wear organic cotton.

M&S - m&s has been in partnership with Oxfam since January 2008. You take your unwanted clothes to an m&s store nearby and you will receive a £5 gift card if you spend £35 or more The companies together have raised more than £3 million pounds since.

Celebrities who wear Eco friendly clothing:

Natalie Portman - When it comes to Eco friendly fashion, Natalie Portman takes it very seriously. She believes that using animal fur, or using any animal substances to make a garment is wrong. Dior recently make her fashionable shoes without taking lives. It's great to see celebrities promoting things such as this.
Emma Watson - Emma Watson collaborated with Alberta Ferretti to create an Eco friendly clothing line called 'Pure Threads', which released a rich collection of knitwear with cotton shirts, jersey dresses and shorts. This is what Emma Watson had to say on this amazing new label:
According to Watson: “I wanted to help People Tree produce a younger range because I was excited by the idea of using fashion as a tool to help alleviate poverty.” Watson explained she enjoys having creative control over the fashion collection:
“I love having control! My job as an actress is to bring to life another person’s vision, but with clothes, I can express my own creativity, and I wanted to be able to buy fashion knowing that it’s not harming the person who made it or the environment. I’ve always been involved in art and I love fashion -  it’s just something I really enjoy.”