design philosophy

As a nineteen-year-old fashion design student I do not have a lot of experience in producing technical sound garments. So I look to the other avenues of garment production that I find are important when creating good design. I respect the finer details of a garment and seeing the depth of a concept strongly represented in the construction and finished details. I aim to portray this with the elements of my design, allowing myself to have a strong concept will give me the confidence to produce better garments.

To produce these concepts I need to source inspiration from anywhere and everywhere! the types of things that continually inspire me in particular are the various forms of religious dress and how each tiny detail has so much meaning and representation to the wearer, historical documents, astrology and anatomy are all great sources of inspiration and interesting to interpret as design features.

To be certain I will keep focus from the beginning inspiration to the production of the final finished garment I follow a method that begins with an initial inspiration, then the motivation and gathering of ideas to researching the depth of the concept. Once that is complete designing and experimenting allows me to create better ideas and give me more options for confirming the garment before I manufacture the final garment with complete certainty that this suits either the concept or design brief.

When producing a garment the choice of fabrics is a very important factor in the end result. I prefer to use natural fibers such as wool, leather and bone because they give clothing an air of wealth and individuality. They are also more sustainable and have less of an impact on the environment. Contrasting these fibers with plastics and metal gives these natural fibers a more modern and aesthetically pleasing look.

Someone who would be attracted to my garments and is who I specifically market my clothing to is ideally someone who appreciates the finer details of clothing and the meaning and significance that has been reflected from a meaningful concept. My target customer would be someone a little older in particular someone aged 25-40 who is able to afford the more expensive garments made from natural fibers that are thoughtfully designed and have a thorough construction process that allows for a flawless piece of work to be worn and admired..

garment selection

the garments i have chosen to use for this project.
White colared shirt.
i already had a small boys school shirt in the cupboard that i bought awhile ago for $1.95 at a local charity store. i had never really worn it because it was too loose fitting across the back and too tight around my hips causing it to ride up.

mosquito net
during the excursion to the salvation army store i found an old white nylon mosquito net from IKEA that had been priced at $10 that was kindly donated.

so i did not pay for the garments sourced for this project! yaaay! makes up for all those expensive assessments in first year.

mood board

final conceptual mood board. key elements: colour palette, transparency and overlays.
i have installed Louise's approach to my design development this semester, i am creating my concept through sourcing different fabrics and hoping a great idea comes my way and from there ill create my garment. fun! but very stressful.

J-Crew Bow skirt made from bow-ties

WGSN Trend research

Louise Tahiraj

· TI will be doing a group colaboration with local Brisbane artist Louise Tahiraj, she is a lovely lady who has a particular interest in working with short films

here is a list of things to consider for my design process in relation to Louise's work.

bodies relationship to technology
Exploration of multiple identities/personal
Autobiographical practice
Combination of digital and analogue processes

Drawing, collage, performance, video as means to explore self representation

Playful, intuitive process of making – let the materials and my body shape the forms/outcomes

Sub/pop-cultural influence on make up of identity and in turn what is created

Inclusion of my own body/ Contemporary self-portraiture

it is important to consider these elements when designing my garment in co-ordination with the brief, there is a lot more to consider with this project other than my concept so i must be confident with what i source as inspiration. during my first meeting with louise i was most inspired by the colour palette within her work (blue, black and white) and the transparencies and use of overlays to give the images more creative depth. these are things i will keep a look out for when sourcing my garments for alteration.

still shots from Louise's work