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. 

Self-Initiated Brief

Developing Ideas

The concept of collecting objects will also be a part of the development of my work as it contrasts with the idea of hoarding, however collecting still obtains similar characteristics such as repetition and attachment. Collecting objects is much more specific and is very common as many people go through phases of accumulating a certain object that appeals to them, the perfect squares seen below in my drawings represents this process. I intend on expressing the contrasts between the orderly nature of collecting with the psychologically and visually chaotic side of hoarding in my samples. 

The colours that I have been working with are perhaps too vibrant and playful in regards to my concept, as I am dealing with a subject  that can be considered rather dark and depressing. Darker tones of grey are needed to inject a more glum colour in amongst the florescent red and pink, also incorporating a deep navy blue would signify the feeling of being weighed down by having a compulsive need to hoard objects. 

Above I have included images of Todd McLellan's work "Things come apart", displaying the contrast between chaos and order with everyday objects.

I have decided to put this particular concept into a fashion knitwear context as I feel that the idea behind my work is strong enough to produce samples that are both wearable and completely unique. Celiné's spring/summer 2014 collection in particular has given me inspiration in terms of colour and context. The collection withholds abstract qualities and painterly printed brush strokes that relate well to my drawings.  

Branding Project

Initial Ideas


In order to get a feel for the brand, I browsed through previous Spring/Summer collection to get a sense of what kind of colours have  been used, what techniques and processes were popular and what key elements brought the collection together as a whole. 

Stripes has been an evident aspect that defines the French style that belongs to the brand. The stripe is produced in a variety of different ways which keeps every collection unique and current. I will also be incorporating stripes in my collection by sticking to the brands identity however interpreting it in a new way that is relevant to my concept and season. 

I began to incorporate my concept of elegant feathers with knitting techniques that are relevant to the brand. Ribs and pleats are potential processes that can represent the natural forms that occur in my concept, they also relate to the brand as they create a structure that can be well fitted on the body.

My initial colour palette consists of soft and feminine colours that have appeared in previous collections. Using watercolours as a drawing tool has been an effective way of illustrating the fluidity of my concept. Applying black fine liner onto the damp watercolour creates a different quality of line. 

Self-Initiated Brief

Refining a Concept

From last week I have continued to think of a defining concept for this brief, I began with exploring the idea of possessions, belongings and the process of collecting objects. This developed into looking at the psychology of hoarding items and the emotional attachment that an individual can have towards an object. My intentions are to analyse why hoarding is related to emotions such as anxiety, and that it is linked to extreme indecisiveness when it comes to choosing what to keep and what to discard. I will aim to produce a body of work that demonstrates an abstraction of this concept, experimenting with factors such as the repetitiveness of hoarding and collecting, creating pieces that represent the accumulation of useless items and the idea that it becomes an endless cycle.

My initial drawings are based on photographs that I took of my home and other people's homes with evidence of hoarding and accumulation of objects. The drawings represent the chaotic nature of the photographs, symbolising the items piled on top of each other in no particular order. The colours reflect the emotions, red stands for anxiety and perhaps anger and frustration that can be caused by the stresses of hoarding. The pink shades represent affection, and not being able to part with belongings because of the sentimental value behind it.

I progressed by introducing a more graphic element to my drawings with black fine liner, creating minuscule circles to represent accumulation and the repetitive cycle of hoarding and how it creates a sense of growth. I decided to bring in photographs of people in order to involve the individual as well as the objects.