'Order in Chaos'

Evaluation

Time management was a key element of this unit as my attention was diveded between two briefs. I am pleased with the outcomes of both projects, however I believe that my concentration during the first few weeks of the unit was mainly aimed towards developing the Sonia Rykiel branding project. During these weeks little progress was made in terms of developing my self-initiated brief and pushing my concept. Once I had chosen my concept title, 'Order in Chaos' I was able to experiment more in terms of drawing and developing ideas for samples. 

Throughout the duration of this unit I believe that I have explored and developed my work by pushing myself to consider new knitting techniques. Incorporating techniques such as tucking enabled me to achieve a grid effect that coincided well with the ordered side of my concept, create neat rows of squares that contrasted with the stuffed objects. What is lacking in the samples is the movement and fluidity of my drawings, I see them to be too perfectly square and flat in some ways when comparing them to the abstract qualities in my sketchbook. Incorporating techniques such as drop stitch or even linking the samples together would of made them more relatable.

In terms of developing my practice, this unit has benefitted me immensely as my knitting skills have improved, especially on the dubied knitting machines. By trial and error and applying my time weekly I have grown in confidence as I could see the vast improvement in my samples. Practicing techniques in order to obtain a professional finish proved to be a key factor in both my self-initiated brief and the branding project, and I have learnt that it is important to get make mistakes and persevere. The foiling and the beading connects the samples, they bring a unique finish to the collection and resemble the drawn shapes in my drawings.  

Further extensive research in terms of fashion knitwear designers is needed in future briefs as I believe that making the connection between my work and my context will develop my practice. Studying Celiné's spring/summer 2014 collection proved useful as I could put my samples into context, however I believe that my final outcomes had the potential to be stronger in terms of context as research concerning knitwear designers was lacking in the development of my work. If I was to complete this unit again the main aspect of the project that I would do differently would be approaching my concept with more of a specific context in mind, for example putting more thought into who my samples are aimed towards within a fashion context and perhaps having a particular brand in mind when designing. 

In future projects I aim to produce a collection of samples that are aimed towards a wider audience within fashion knitwear as I tend to design samples that are bold and abstract, similar to the knitwear brands Sibling or Walter Van Beirendonck which have a limited and very specific target market. I wish to obtain a wide range of variety in my portfolio, which was the main reason why I kept both projects completely separate and produce very different outcomes in both.

Self-Initiated Brief
Developing Designs and Samples

Photograph of foam shapes and kinder egg toys

This week I have been experimenting with different ways to incorporate my abstract and bold concept into knit. My initial idea was to stuff the pockets of my knit samples with kinder egg toys, however when the time came to use these objects they were too big to fit between both needle beds. After deliberating on a conclusion to this error of judgement I decided that the toys were perhaps too childish for the ideas behind my concept. The foam shapes are representative enough of the accumulation of objects.

Testing which techniques that best represented my concept was another key factor of this week as i gave myself time to analyse what works and what was not successful. Practicing the techniques and ensuring that the tension and stitch size were perfect in order for the fabric to be tight and look professional was also important as I want my final collection to be technically correct.

The technique that seems to be working well is tucking as it presents an element of uniformity, creating tidy squares that resemble the ones in my drawings. More attention is needed in terms of foiling the fabrics as I want the foiled shapes to be clear and not fragmented. I will also be utilising the mock rib technique as it reveals flashes of colouring an effective way that also relates to my drawings.

As I am beginning to generate designs and ideas for final samples I am doing so with a particular audience in mind. I see the samples being one-of-a-kind knitwear pieces due to the fact that they are very conceptual and intricate. Further finishing such as foiling and beading will bring an element of exclusivity and attention to detail.

Generating Initial Samples

As I stated last week more of my own primary visual research was needed in order to strengthen the foundation of my concept of order and chaos. I photographed a friend surrounded by her possessions in order to create a sense of distress caused by the mess and clutter. The photographs were then edited in photoshop as I could then manipulate what was already there, such as duplicating the clutter several times that resembles the accumulation of hoarding objects. 

From the photographs I took inspiration from the shapes of the objects and the colours. The repetition gave me the idea of incorporating actual objects into my knit samples. I intend on experimenting with a mixture of abstract shapes and day to day objects to coincide with my concept and bring a sense of reality to my samples.

Using Illustrator as a tool to design my initial samples proved to be effective in terms of time and being able to choose the right tone of colour. As I have been printing a lot of my designs of tracing paper I wanted to represent the transparent qualities into my knit samples. I used monofilament whilst doing the circular technique on the Dubied and stuffing the pocket with coloured foam shapes and beads to represent the objects in my drawings and photographs.

Researching Chanel's intricate embellishments in the 2014 spring/summer collection for inspiration in terms of beadwork and attention to detail. The beading on my samples will represent the spreading of clutter and the ever-growing and endless cycle of hoarding objects.

Branding Project

Evaluation

By completing this brief I have learnt that I enjoy producing samples for a specific client. Conducting extensive research on a brand and designing a collection for a particular season proved to be enjoyable and gave me an insight into the experience of working within a brand. I also learnt that being versatile is key, I adapted my way of working to think about the brand and the season, concentrating on which colours and knitting processes are associated with the brand and how I could re-invent their previous collections.

Sonia Rykiel reinvented knitwear and made it into something light hearted and feminine, so the pale and lively colours I chose were very important in order to portray the iconic style of the brand. I decided to with the traditional stripe that appears in most of Sonia Rykiel's previous collections, however varied the sizes from thick to thin in order to make the samples stand out.

This brief has stengthened my skills on the Dubied knitting machines, the whole collection was produced on the Dubied as I could choose from a range of techniques that resembled the patterns in my concept such as racking, ripple and in-laying. I learnt these new techniques during this unit and enjoyed incorporating them into my samples, they proved to be effective and represented my concept well. More could of been done in terms of experimentation with techniques that did not exist in previous collections in order to keep the collection current and exciting. 

I throughly enjoyed this brief as it helped me to realise that I want my practice to lead towards fashion knitwear. I am happy with the direction in which my work is progressing, especially in terms of working within a brand as a designer and maker. I thrived when working under constraints and having to follow a brands' characteristics enabled me to concentrate on collecting a range of research and meant I created more work, faster. 

The aspects of the project that I would do differently would be to think more abstractly about how I could create a collection that was completely new and exciting with a range of fresh ideas that could transform the brand's existing style into something more innovative. I believe that my collection would fit in well in future Sonia Rykiel spring/summer collections, however the lack of risk taking is apparent and depicts the samples as being too safe in my opinion.

Branding Project

Developing Designs and Samples

After having difficulty with my colour choices last week, I aimed this week to analyse and re-evaluate the colour palette I was working with. I chose to knit with a select few colours that would bring the samples together as a strong collection, using mainly blue, pink, white and black. I want my collection to have a French feel of sophistication, and I felt that these colours would represent the identity of the brand whilst also be suitable for a spring/summer collection. These development samples below are lacking in intensity however and need another vibrant colour in order for them to stand out. Including a more shocking pink colour or utilising a larger amount of bright orange will make the collection livelier.

The techniques that I intend on incorporating into my final samples are racking a ripple as they create a sense of movement, repetition and elegance, which are three key factors of the brand's iconic identity. 

Sonia Rykiel

Self-Initiated Brief
Concept and Colour

As my colours were becoming too vibrant and happy for my concept, the inclusion of a deep navy blue adds a tone of sadness. The blue brings a weightiness to my drawings, making them seem denser, symbolising the clutter and chaos. A darker shade of grey is also needed in order to cut through the brightness of the red and pink in my colour palette.   

Incorporating my initial photographs of hoarding into my drawings helped me to link the shapes I was creating with the reality of the subject. Introducing the linear qualities of book pages gave my drawings more of a graphic effect amongst the abstraction of the cluttered shapes. I have been using tracing paper as a tool to create layers in my work, enabling me to reflect my concept by reinforcing the idea of layers of clutter. The use of tracing paper in my work mutes the colours and acts as the clouded mind of a person that is incapable of discarding objects. By muting the colours it depicts that thoughts are interrupted. 

The shapes that represent the objects were becoming too rounded and    figurative, the chaotic nature of the shapes seemed to disappear therefore I reintroduced the energy that were in my initial drawings. I attempted to create movement with gestural brush strokes and using a black fine liner to create minuscule circles that surround the shapes. I intend on representing these black circles in my samples by embellishing them with small beads, which will represent the idea of hoarding being and an ever-growing accumulation of objects.  

The work of the artist Liliana Porter, pictured above, has inspired me this week in terms of developing ideas related to my concept. The relation between the individual and the object is apparent in her work which is a factor that I intend on exploring within my concept. I feel that my work is lacking in primary research at the moment and in order to resolve this I aim to incorporate some first hand photography of the relationship between the person and their belongings.



Branding Project

Generating Initial Samples

This week has mainly consisted of experimenting with colour and techniques. I found it difficult to choose the exact colours that I wanted to use as Sonia Rykiel's previous Spring/Summer collection usually consists of colours that blend and coincide well together. After analysing my initial samples I discovered that I was using too much colour on colour, and failing to incorporate dark colours in order to brake up the colour stripe. 

I intend on developing my samples by using lighter colours, avoiding the deeper pink tones and replacing it with more subtle shades that resemble the colours in my drawings. Incorporating black will strengthen my samples as it will define the techniques I am using and create an outline. Using thin stripes of black on in laying the yarn will add a subtle border to my work whilst still remaining to be a Spring/Summer collection.

I experimented with techniques such as racking and pleats in order to create a patterned surface that represents the quality of drawings in my sketchbook. Further research on which colours are popular within the brand is needed and more thought should be given to proportion of colour in the samples.