DIGITALLY MANIPULATING INK FOLDINGS
THE BEGINNING…
In this unit I have experienced collaboration with other students which is not something I usually do as I have always been independent with my own ideas. I’ve learnt that adding a short description to imagery clarifies my thought process not only for myself but others. Previously I had been a big fan of the “reblog” button without explaining my thoughts.
My research for this unit is mainly in my sketchbooks and I think that I have shown my interest in a main, relevant area relating to textiles and presented my ideas in a logical way to reach a solution.
My main source of inspiration in terms of blogs has recently been Moda de la Mode – written by Grace Molan. I admire the success behind her continuous hard work and although I currently only see my own blog as a small, personal log of my work, I can see the power of using a blog to create platforms for other artistic opportunities in the future.
I’m hoping that as I come across more opportunities myself, that my blog will become more developed, diverse and interesting and eventually develop into a website in which I can reflect my own style of work in a more effective way.
HARRODS VISIT
For this task we had been asked to choose a department store of our choice and focus our attention on a product to engage with. Top tip: don’t walk into Harrods with your hood up if you don’t want to be instantly judged. I instantly headed over to the gloves and scarves department, mainly to see how much a designer scarf could sell for in a high-end department store in London.
Walking through the store for the first time felt weird to say the least. Bearing in mind that I was in the store for about ten minutes, the fact that I had to engage with five people (two being security) to just look at (not even buy) a scarf, felt slightly intimidating to say the least. I’m all for good customer service but I was told I had to carry my backpack in my hands as I walked around the store (really?) and began to take down the basic details of a beautiful Missoni scarf after briefly browsing the aisle. £179, Made in Italy, 82% Rayon, 12% Rayon Curpo & 6% Polyester. Visually the scarf was worth the price tag, but as I ran my fingers through it I realised that compared to other brands (McQueen, Mulberry, Burberry) it didn’t feel the most comfortable thing to have around my neck.
I tend to make most of my purchases impulsively so the fact that I was staring at a scarf for 15 minutes felt unusual and I could feel the eyes of the shop attendants on me and I scrawled down notes. What made this scarf special? To me, the arrangement of colours felt similar to some of my own work at the start of the year. I felt as though I could slightly relate to the process behind how the scarf was made and realised that I could probably create this myself (only on a smaller sample scale of course.)
One of the main reasons why I was drawn towards this particular scarf however was because it was hanging up. Below I noticed other scarfs which weren’t as noticeable, again by Missoni that were at lower prices. I was curious as to why this was - less aesthetically pleasing designs? Different quality of material? Of course it wasn’t an accident that the most expensive products were the ones that were put on a platform for all to see. But my investigation was cut short as at 8:04 I was told that the store was shut and that “I would have to come back another time”, despite probably only needing a minute more to gather a few extra bits of information. On the way out I was asked by security if there was “anything I could be helped with?” (not unless you’re going to extend the opening hours, thanks.)
PRINT SAMPLES: My first attempt at screen printing and monoprinting on silk fabrics. Needs a little more work and then needs to be mounted but here is what I’ve done so far pinned up in my space.
DESIGNER POP-UP SHOP, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON - I had a great night on Wednesday at the designer pop up shop at the Hospital Club which hosted stalls with a range of jewellery, designer bags, hats and garments. My personal favourites were the flowing dresses from the Alexander van Baalen stall and the LA DiOSA table which featured some beautiful and soon to be released digitally printed cashmere scarves. These were designs edited and inspired by gemstones - the company itself specialising in “luxurious statement jewellery.”
I also got talking to the managing director of Luxury Wish List (www.luxurywishlist.co.uk) who told me of her experiences globally sourcing a range of Hermes bags for clients. I found her record of travelling across four countries in Europe in 24 hours to source a bag very impressive and watched as she carefully handled the bags with gloves, explaining that she didn’t want to accidently mark the lizard skin and leather surfaces with her skin.
Around the venue I also found inspiration in the artwork on the walls - Harriet Clare’s prints surrounded one of the rooms in the Hospital Club which caught my eye on the way out. (above: Liquidamba Styracilua, 2012)
Attending this tonight thanks to www.modadelamode.blogspot.com & www.masonmoore.co.uk
SCREEN PRINTING - Really enjoyed learning about the screen printing process today and got really involved with it all. I’ve definitely decided that I want to specialise in print. Above is a mirrored rough idea of what my work could look like once I do some more prints. I intentionally did not properly mix my colours to see what the outcome would be like. I think that this print will be alot stronger if I experiment with different colours and overlaying/editing certain areas.
HIGH STREET FASHION PRINTS: Really into insect designs at the moment because of research. Also have been a fan of Taxonomy sweaters at Topman for a while now. Check it out!
BUTTERFLY DIGITAL PRINT DESIGN - Experimenting with printing this on cotton and silk next week. If the results come out well I would really like to produce some more samples which I would consider getting sent off to be printed.
