'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.