Week 13 - Lamula Nassuna Autumn/Winter 2016

We were given just one week to re-design 'the suit' for Lamula Nassuna's Autumn/Winter 2016 collection.

TUESDAY

We were lucky enough to start the day with a briefing from the designer herself. Lamula Nassuna explained what her brand was all about, the inspiration behind her brand and what she wants us to create. But unlike our other projects, we were only given one week to complete this project, so I started my research straight away. My research consisted of looking at numerous artist and designers, creating from that a number of mood boards:

(My own photos)

WEDNESDAY
Having spent yesterday researching, and only having till tomorrow to complete my project, I went straight onto rough designs, considering both blazers and trousers for suits in womenswear:

(My own photos)

I wanted to have as many roughs as possible. Since we only have to produce a final line up of one suit, I wanted to make sure I selected the very best to put forward. And I could only put the best forward if I drew out enough roughs to pick from. 

By today I also knew the material I wanted to use for my suit and the buttons. This was displayed in my sketchbook. I decided to go for a plain navy blue, as well as navy blue with white stripes. I realise this is not the most exciting colour to select, but our designer is very simple and ladylike, so I wanted to keep my designs relatively simple while still being beautiful - this seemed the best approach for her as a designer, her brand and her customers.

(My own photo)

THURSDAY

Today was the final day of the project. I used the day to draw out some possible final outcomes before picking the final one:

(My own photos)

I also created another mood board, to give the designer I was presenting to, a real taste of what I was thinking about when I decided to design this suit:

(My own photo)

So far this has definitely been my favourite project. I am really happy that I felt I have proven myself since my last project. The last project I did left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. I worked hard on it and really tried my best, but even I could tell from the get go, that I am capable of a lot more than what I produced.

I feel a lot differently about this project. I think that 100% relies on the research. I was not confident on the research of my last project, or any of my precious projects compared to this one.

The biggest struggle I faced during this project, would have to be that, I knew my tutors wanted me to think; bigger, bolder and brighter! however there's only so much you can do with a suit, and the designer was clear she wanted it to be comfortable and wearable. My design was definitely comfortable and wearable, and I know I can prove myself on the projects to come. So I am excited about that!

Week 12 - Personality into Fashion - Week 2

TUESDAY

Having gathered all my research, I used Tuesday to begin drawing out some of my rough designs. This included taking inspiration from my chosen topic; classic dolls, as well as, taking inspiration from some of the images I have gathered. The way I did this was, taking an image of a victorian doll, and singling out a detail on the dolls dress. This ranged from; the sleeve, collar and design pattern on the dress. I then drew out the detail and photo copied these 3 details a total of 8 times each. Cut them out, and used them to work on the stand.

I always find I gain my best ideas from working on the stand. It was something I had to grow into but I am so happy I did. From my stand work, I managed to create more rough designs in my sketchbook, these designs were far better than my first original designs, and included; tops, coats, shorts, trousers and skirts.

(My own photos)

WEDNESDAY

Having spent 2 days of last week, the weekend and yesterday completing roughs. I decided to select a number of roughs to be considered for my final line up:

(My own photos)

This would give me a clearer idea, of what clothes would match, and how my collection would look as a line up, before completely committing to one line up.







As well as a rough line up, I completed a design board. This board captured my inspiration behind my designs, as well as the colours and fabrics:




(My own photo)


THURSDAY

As the final day of the project, I had to finalise my line up, including front and back view of each design:

(Front and back view - my own photos)

After completing this project my tutor pointed out, that I should really be considering more exciting designs. I have an opportunity to design anything I want, so should be more adventurous. This is advice I will definitely take onboard.

Out of all the projects I have completed so far, I struggle the most with this one. That could be because this is the first time we were left to work on our project completely alone, I also feel I wasn't very confident in my research. Maybe I should have taken my project in a different direction. The most important thing is that I completed the project and I am satisfied with the end result. For the next project I know how important the research process is and will spend much more time on it. 

Week 11 - Personality into Fashion - Week 1

TUESDAY

Getting straight into the next project, 'Personality into Fashion', was all about creating a line of clothing that summed up our personalities. How did we achieve this? Well firstly, everyone was encouraged to bring between 5 and 8 objects that meant something to us in one way, or another. 

The first object I brought in, was a set of Rosary beads given to me as a gift from Pope Benedict XVI. The second object I found meant something to me, was the storybook; 'The Wizard of Oz'. Thirdly, I selected an old photo of my grandparents wedding, followed by a souvenir book from the V&A, then finally a Russian doll.

The first day was spent trying to find a way to link the 5 objects together, one way this was advised was through creating a short story which included all of the objects. I have to say, despite first thinking this was a waste of time, I found it to be a massive help! But I also included mind-maps for each object. Just because, I find mind-maps give me more of a clear sense as to what is going on in my head. It's so much easy seeing all your thoughts written down. 

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY

Wednesday and Thursday was about getting into roughs. I now knew how the objects were going to link, and that was through old fashioned and classic dolls. Knowing that, I gathered as much research over Wednesday and Thursday as I could to start on my rough designs and then move onto completing my final lineup.
So far the biggest struggle I have had to face, is finding a way to link all the objects together. Considering this project consist of objects that all mean something to me, I was surprised at this. I definitely feel it has held be up from progressing in this project. Even I didn't have to be told that I was clearly behind on my work, I should have been further into the rough designs by now, but I am not.
At least now I know where I am taking this project, and can use next week to catch up.

Week 10 - Details - Week 2

TUESDAY

Today was all about making sure we had completed the last set of task that had been set, as well as moving onto the next stage in the project.

The task that were set out last week really helped in moving my project further along, as well as helping me develop my own ideas in terms of where I could take this. 

To develop my design work, I used Monday to work on the stand. This included picking 3 different details from the images I had selected, drawing them out, photocopying 8 of each and cutting them out. Once cut out, I manipulated them around the stand to create numerous different shapes, that could be interrupted into outfits.

WEDNESDAY

Having spent Monday working on the stands, I used Wednesday to design from this. 

I always find working on the stands really useful. I end up creating outfits and items of clothing I would never have thought of. Not to mention, creating work on the stands gives you a look at what your work can look like as a finished outfit - all the endless possibilities.

My project is due to be finished on Thursday, so I will design my final 6 designs using  inspiration from the work I completed on the stands.

THURSDAY

Today was the final day to complete this project. I have spent 2 weeks; researching, developing and finalising my work. I did complete the project with 6 final designs.

Although I have to say this project has been a massive wake call. This is the first time we have only had 2 weeks to complete a project, and despite feeling confident with what I wanted and needed to include, I cannot lie, I underestimated just how quick 2 weeks go and how much faster I need to work to make sure I finish as much work as possible.

Week 9 - Details - Week 1

MONDAY

Having finished our first project, our tutor emailed us with the new topic - 'Details'. Considering our classes now run from Tuesday to Thursday, I thought it would be wise to start my research now. This involved reading the brief behind the topic, and collecting any images I thought would be of use to me.

TUESDAY

Day one of our new topic, started with our tutors explaining the new topic and what was expected of us, one of those being to be more independent. This project is only 2 weeks long, meaning we have to act fast and work hard to produce as much work as we can in this period of time.

We were given the day to gather our own research and information. I spent the morning in the library, looking for any images that inspired or interest me, and found I was most drawn to the 19th century. Having now decided my main focus for the project, I collect all the images I needed to create my concept board, as well as looking up context surrounding the 19th century. Just because I feel if you're going to base a project around a partially era, it's important to have an understanding of what was going on during that time. 

WEDNESDAY

To help with our research, we used Wednesday to visit some galleries. We were given a list of galleries and shops which should offer some inspiration, and left to visit the ones that we felt would benefit us most. 

I started my day visiting the V&A. The museum contains a range of clothing from a number of different eras, one being the 19th century. After sketching a taking some photos of the clothing on show, I decided to look at some paintings from the 19th century - more importantly the portraits. This was because I thought it would be a good idea to look at how people wore their clothes then and how they presented themselves. 

Having gathered research from the 19th century, I then went to Selfridges to see if any designers had taken a modern take on the 19th century. I felt this could be used to inspire me when I have to design my outfits. 

THURSDAY

To help move our project along, we were given 2 task on Thursday. We have until next week to complete them, but obviously it would be smart to get as much done as possible. 

Task 1 - consisted of us selecting an image, drawing each of the details individually, repeating this a total of 5 times. Then from this producing a series of fifty designs using these details. 

Task 2 - was selecting detailing from our images, cutting out and reconfiguring to create new designs and shapes. We had to use faces and limbs from magazines to create an illustration or design on the figure. We had to create a minimum of 6.
Starting this on Thursday, I had made good progress on task 1, but had not completed it. I will be using the weekend to complete task 1 and make a start on task 2, I also need to gather some fabric samples. 

Week 8

MONDAY
This is our last week to work on our projects, until our assessment next week. So during Monday's session, we were given the final run-through, of everything we needed, including; our blogs completed, sketchbooks completed, and a final design.
We were also given a talk on 'pathways', since as soon as our assessment is over we will have to pick a pathway, this being either fashion design, or promotion. This is a no brainer for me, I have already decided to pick the design path over promotion. I am definitely more of a design student.
Knowing time is running out, I continued to work on my sketchbook. The talk in the morning was a massive help, and allowed me to single out what I needed in my book, as well as what I have completed enough of, so I spent the day working in my book.

TUESDAY
My final piece is due in on Friday, so it was urgent that I purchase any fabric or pieces I needed. In the end I purchased 3 different fabrics, as well as 3 different ribbons - this was way more than I needed, but you can never be too prepared.
I started as soon as I got home, looking through my sketchbook, selecting the best design I could find. Considering, this is the first time our tutors will

see our skills at actually making something, I cannot lie, I am a little worried, just because I'm a perfectionist and want everything to run smoothly. 

Knowing we only had a week to make this piece, I picked something I knew I could definitely make in that time frame. I picked to make a vest I had drawn in my book, using black as the base, and picking an orange/blue coloured fabric to show the pattern of the butterfly - since my project is all about patterns in nature.
 
WEDNESDAY
I was meant to attend Ravensbourne today, but due to some problems with the train, it was impossible for me to get in. It was really annoying that I could not get in, but I had more than enough work in my sketchbook to complete, as well as a vest to make, so spent my day finishing them.
After working on my vest none stop, yesterday, as well as today, I managed to complete it! I'm so happy with the outcome of it. I feel like next time I make something, I could be far more adventurous, but for the first piece, I'm just happy I have something  which is finished and ready to be shown.

THURSDAY 
Now my piece is complete, I can use this time to work on my sketchbook. I spent the whole day, looking through my book and taking note of what needed to be added.
I got a lot done, however not everything is completely finished. So there's a few things I will have to finish tomorrow, but I'm not worried. Up to this point I have had great feedback on my work, so I know there's nothing I have missed out, it will completely be down to if I have done enough, as well as the standard of my work - that's what I am worried about.
I will be taking everything in tomorrow -  with the majority of it done. Just so my tutor can be sure I'm on the right track, since the next time I see any of my tutors after tomorrow, will be during my assessment.

FRIDAY
Today was our last day before assessment! Once again we were given the day to work on our projects. I'm not complaining though. All you can do at this point is keep working and produce more stuff.
So while the morning was spent continuously working, we used the afternoon to show each other our work and get some feedback. This was really helpful, because not only were we getting a variety of opinions and comments on our work, but we were able to look at each others work and see where other people were taking their projects. After that, I think everyone knows what they have to spend their weekend doing, ready for our assessment.

MY PROJECT
When I first started my project, I picked 2 images. The first one being an eye, surrounded by leaves, flowers and birds. The second, being an image of some earphones. After completing a mind map I decided the best way to link the two, would be through, explaining; The earphones are something that is manmade, structured and unnatural. While everything in the second image is natural, there is still a structure and science behind every petal. So to combine the two I will be looking at the structure and design in patterns in nature.
With this in mind, I explored many different types of patterns in nature, including; fur, flowers, scales and insects. But thought, it would be wise to narrow my project down to just one type, deciding this would be insects, more specifically butterflies.
I then completed a number of rough designs, influenced by butterflies, looking into not only the colours used, but the shapes. Once I had enough designs based on butterflies, I decided to look at other insects, such as beetles. However, while I was designing, it became clear I was most inspired and influenced by the butterflies.
Before I picked what to design for my final piece, I looked back at some of the workshops I had done.  This included knitting and the digital print in photoshop, just to see in there was anything I wanted to include from the workshops, into my final piece. Although the techniques I had used in knitting, including; the honeycomb stitch and weaving, could symbolise types of patterns in nature, and the images I used in photoshop could be printed out and used, the work I had done on butterflies was still my favourite.
From the designs I had created, I picked one and got to work. I picked this design, because the panels of colour, were very minimalistic, which I felt added a sense of delicateness that comes with a fragile butterfly wing. I allowed the edges of the pattern to fray, since I felt this gave a more realistic and zoomed in image of the wing, and finally the idea of creating a vest, seemed to me the closest thing I could make to a wing, but allowing it to be a piece of wearable clothing. 

Week 7

MONDAY

This year will come and go quickly, before we know it, we'll be leaving to go onto other universities, or carrying on at Ravensbourne. Either way, we all have to apply through UCAS. So we took Monday, to go through the guidelines and layout of UCAS.

We spent the morning, with the given opportunity to talk to fashion BA students. This involved being able to ask any question we had, as well as looking through their sketchbooks, which was a great insight to what we can expect if we are to stay on at Ravensbourne. 

After that, we were given a total of three talks. The first talk was on how to set up and submit our UCAS applications. I was really happy to sit through this, considering I have never used UCAS before, so needed all the advice I could get. But all my questions were answered, and I feel more than confident to have my form completed for the 11th of December. 

The next talk was on researching HE courses and institutions. This talk, gave us an insight to the courses we would be applying to, how to apply for them, what we would need in order to apply to them and a brief look into what we would be doing on these courses - in terms of  how many years the courses would be. We were told everything our tutors could possibly tell us, but obviously the most they know is based on what Ravensbourne supplies, so we need to be responsible for attending open days and researching courses from other universities.

The final talk was on finance, including fees and loans. Again, those providing the talk told us everything we need to know, in terms of Ravensbourne, as well as whatever they knew about other universities. But if we want to know more about other universities, we have to do the research ourselves. 

Each talk answered every question we could possibly have. We were also encouraged to discuss any issues we might have, with our tutors, or other members of staff. We were given a list of dates - deadlines to meet, and as much advice as could possibly be given, to make sure we all knew what we were doing, in order to complete our UCAS forms.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday gave us the chance to work individually on our projects.We were given the day to work on, whatever needed work, then called for a group tutorial, in groups of three. 

I have expressed before how much I enjoy, when we are given the chance to just work on our projects. I always find I get so much done, not to mention I'm inspired by others around me. So I went through my book, as I have been, until I was called for a group tutorial.
Called in groups of 3, we sat at a table with one of our tutors, and discussed our work one by one. While someone was presenting their work, it was the job of the person sitting on their left to make notes, this way we would not miss everything. The group tutorial was really helpful! This way you were given 3 sets of opinions on your work, also I think it was more effective since we did it in smaller groups, because you could see everyones work and the feedback we each received, was a lot clearer and felt some much more direct.
Everyone agreed, my initial research was very strong, along with my designs and layout, but I needed a lot more rough designs, and a few more pieces of stand work would be good to. Having received this feedback, I spent the rest of the day working on my rough designs.

THURSDAY
We will soon have to complete, our contextual studies, exhibition essay. For this, we are asked to complete a written report reviewing a site visit to Tate Modern and the Institute of Contemporary Arts.
We spent Thursday morning in the Tate Modern, here we were given the option to visit 8 different rooms. We will have to pick at least one, more so two rooms, from the Tate Modern. As well as, a room from the Institute of Contemporary Art, which was where we spent our afternoon.
Overall, the day provided enough research for us to complete our essays.

FRIDAY
Considering assessment week is coming up, again we were left to work on our projects. Again, I thought back to what was said in my group tutorial, on Wednesday, and continued to work on comments which were mentioned then.
During the day, we were taken out in groups to the prototype room. The prototype room, contains pretty much every machine you could think of, and we were given an induction to all of them. Everyone really appreciated the induction, since it gave everyone a bit more confidence to be more daring with their work and designs, since we can now use the machines all by ourselves. 

Week 6

MONDAY

As part of 'group 2', week 6 was our turn to try photoshop - more specifically patterns. Everyone was at different stages and points when it came to photoshop. Some people had never used it before, while others knew all there was to know, and the rest of us were somewhere in between. So we started with the basics.

Having done IT for GCSE and A-Level, I was feeling confident that photoshop was something I would catch onto quickly.

We were taught the basics of creating patterns. This being, making the shape, choosing a variety of colours and transferring that pattern onto a sheet of A4 or A3, where you could auto the size of the scale to suit you. We then went on to learn how to make and design other patterns, such as the drop-down pattern. 

The afternoon, was spent cutting objects out of one image, and placing that object onto another image. This is what we will be carrying on with tomorrow. So have been advanced, to bring in our own images to work with.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, was all about, taking what we had learnt from Monday, and trying it out for ourselves.
We spent the morning, making patterns by using our own photos. Once we made a pattern we were happy with, our tutor taught us how to convert that pattern onto a model. This way, we could actually see our patterns come to life, and see what the best scale would be on an actual piece of clothing. I found this part extremely helpful, just because, it's all well and good printing out your design on a piece of paper, but seeing them on a model puts everything in perspective.
When we were happy with how our patterns looked on the model, we were put into pairs. Once in pairs, we discussed our patterns and ideas behind them. It was at this point, we had to auto our patterns, to match our pairs. The idea was that the two patterns could be apart of the same collection. We presented this by, cutting and folding the sheets which contain our patterns on a dummy, to make an outfit.

FRIDAY
We were given Friday to work on our projects . As much as I love having workshops planned, and learning new skills, these kind of days are my favourite. I always find, I am so much more focused on getting work done if I do it in class, not to mention every resource you could possibly need is there for you.
We also have the opportunity to talk to our tutor. Our tutor will take the time to visit us individually, asking how we are finding the course, how our project is going, and what the next move is for our project. But if there is anything, advice, or conversation, which is needed urgently, we can always ask, which is always helpful and encouraging. 

Week 5

MONDAY

At the end of last week, we were given the option to look at knitwear, or accessories for week 5. Considering I want to go down the design route, over promotion, I decided to pick knitwear. 

To give us an idea of knitting clothes, we used knitting machines rather than needles. So once our tutor showed us how to set up the machines, we began with the basics. This involved completing a basic stitch, a drop stitch, lace stitch and honeycomb stitch. 

I really wasn't sure how I was going to take to knitting. It's something I tired when I was younger, but decided it wasn't for me, and gave up with it. But, I am so happy I took this week to take it up again. Don't get me wrong, the techniques were always a bit hard to get right the first time. It usually took 2 or 3 goes to get it right. However, overall I found the methods easy to pick up, and enjoyable. I will definitely consider making knitwear in the future. 

WEDNESDAY
While Monday was about knitting patterns, Wednesday was more about knitting clothing. We were taught how to; knit curves, knit sleeves and finish our knitting piece neatly and professionally.
On Monday, we were also encouraging to bring in a range of yarn and materials for Wednesday. These were used to weave with - which creates a type of pattern in our pieces.
I was really excited for today because, Monday went so well, I was very confident to get started.  The techniques were explained and demonstrated well for us, and I could not wait to get started.
We spent the whole day practicing and finalising our skills, after being told we would use Friday - our last day of knitting - to knit 2 A4 size pieces, which would consist of any pattern or technique we had learnt in the last 2 days.

FRIDAY
On Friday, we were left to our own creative minds. We had spent the last 2 days being taught all we could possibly learn, and now it was time to put our knowledge to good use.
We were given the whole day to create at least 2 A4 size pieces. Each had to consist of the techniques we had learnt.
I tired to include all of the techniques we were taught. But found the weaving and honeycomb were my favourites.
Overall I had so much fun this week. I loved doing knitting, and am definitely considering doing more. 

Week 4

MONDAY

On Monday, we were introduced to fashion illustrations. We began our day completing research. This involved looking online, as well as going through books in the library, exploring different styles of fashion illustration. The afternoon, than consisted of each of us taking it in turns to pose while the rest of the class completed a fashion illustration. With each illustration, our tutor explained it was important to try different techniques, whether this be; not looking at the page while drawing, using more than one media, drawing the pattern of the models clothes then drawing the figure over the top, using two pens or pencils at the same time, as well as many more. This was to give us variety to choose from when it came to developing our own style of fashion illustrations. We were told the quicker we developed our own style the better, so I think we were all grateful for the amount of techniques, and time we spent on the topic.

I found the whole day both enjoyable and beneficial. I came to Ravensbourne from a fine art a-level, so drawing and illustration is definitely where I feel most at home. I appreciated being shown so many different ways, I felt like then I had more than enough options to display my illustrations. Although the idea of drawing out any illustration without looking at the page makes me feel sick! I am such a perfectionist, and while I understand that not everything has to be perfect, and this technique is a great way to coordinate your eyes and hands, it's really not for me and I hate the way my drawings come out from it. However I can see myself using or trying all the other techniques in the future, especially using two different colours, or two different medias. 

WEDNESDAY

While we were having our tutorials last week, our tutor believed some of us were still unclear of how to develop our projects further. Keeping this in mind, it was decided we would spend the remained of the week collecting a total of 3 different tasks, all of which should inspire us and help us carry out our projects.

The tasks included:

TASK1 - developing our mind maps further. Including how the images make us feel. Finding links and developments from the words we have already listed.

TASK 2 - Picking three words from our mind maps. From these three words, find; colours, images, concepts and shapes that we associate with them. 

TASK 3 - Picking one concept and developing it further in our sketchbooks.

The layout to our sketchbooks now, is very similar to the layout of my sketchbook at a-level, so to be honest, I did not feel leading up to this point that I was struggling that much with the project, or developing it, but you can never have too much help. 

The day did offer us time to work in our sketchbooks, which is not always easy to do at home, and what was even more helpful, was while working in our books we had 2 tutors right there along side of us, continuously asking us to explain our ideas, giving us tips and opinions on where we should go from here, as well as communicating what they felt worked well in our books and what did not. The only thing I could comment on that I did not enjoy about the day, was that since I already had an idea of where I wanted to take my project, some of the task did not help me, or could not be linked in with the work I had already done. Having said that, I completely understand why those tasks were set for us.

FRIDAY

Having had Wednesday to collect our research, Friday was about bringing it all together. We had to make sure we had completed the 3 tasks which were set, and present our findings in our sketchbooks. Keeping in mind our projects, the layout and composition of our work.

I found it helpful to do this is class, because we could ask our tutors for their opinions or advice if need be.

Our homework was then to carry on with what we had been doing, which was easy, since we had had 2 days of practice.

SATURDAY

While obviously going to the exhibitions and completing the work our tutors set is important, as students, and young adults, we need to be more independent. Keeping that in mind I travelled to the Strand in London on Saturday, to attend the Louis Vuitton Series 3 exhibition. 

While there was nothing there that would benefit, or add to my personal project 'Patterns in Nature', there was plenty there that would benefit me in terms of the course itself. 

We were allowed to get up close and personal to the; clothing, shoes, bags and accessories, we meant I could inspect every fastening, collar, cuff, button, stitch work, and everything else I had been told to look for in the 2D design workshop. This inspiration and influence will come in handy when I am designing.

Week 3

MONDAY

Since only half of us attended Fashion Week on Friday, it was now our turn to stay in class while the other half attended. This day was used as a catch-up session. We were told to complete any work from the 2D and 3D design workshops, we took part in the week before.
I had already printed off and stuck in photo's from the 3D workshop, as well as completed a total of 30 designs inspired by what I had created that day. However, despite feeling confident with those designs, I felt the 15 designs from the 2D workshop could be looked at again and worked on. As well as focusing on my 2D designs, our tutor spent the day collecting groups of 7 of us, at a time, to do group tutorials. However, since our class is so big, our tutor did not have time to get to everyone, including me. Knowing we would be out Wednesday though, our tutor made it clear the rest of us would be seen on Friday.
Overall, I really enjoyed my day. We have been very busy and a lot of information has been thrown at us. It was nice to have the day to catch up and digest everything we have been doing.

WEDNESDAY
With groups 2 and 3 being told to meet at Piccadilly Circus, the whole purpose of today was research.


London is probably the greatest city in the world in terms of history, culture, shops, museums, galleries and fashion, the city is overflowing with inspiration, references and information. We are very lucky to attend Ravensbourne, since we are right on top of the city and can easily get to and from the very centre of it with no problems.
Keeping all of this in mind, we individually set off on the 'Magical Mystery Tour', in which we were given a list of streets to visit. These streets included; Berwick Street, Mount Street, Conduit Street, Davies Street, Hanover Square, Dering Street, among 11 more. We were given the day to visit as many of these streets as we could, and collect samples, images and documentations.
I was looking forward to this task, and really enjoyed it while doing so. I love London, I could walk round it for hours. It was so helpful to be given a list of direct streets in London that should provide us with resources, since if there were any we did not get a chance to visit, we could always go back to them another day. As well as giving us the opportunity to actually go out on our own and find what we need - I have to say I am loving the independence.
I found the day really helpful, I managed to get documentations, images and samples from not only shops down these streets, but also the streets themselves. Since I want to look at patterns in nature for my project, I could take pictures of the plants and trees, as well as the clothing in the shops.

FRIDAY
We were introduced to a new topic on Friday, 'Trend Reports'. A trend report is to inform on; what is in the shops, as well as what is happening on the runway.
Friday had us put ourselves into groups, then decide on a topic for our trend report. We were given the option to comment on; the differences in each countries fashion week, market levels or street fashion, but my group decided to comment on how high street shops are beginning to copy high end brands, on not only clothing, but; branding, promotion and more. Having picked a topic for our trend report we had to decide on an audience, and focus on; accessories, colour, fabric, detail, shape and theme. We decided our target audience would be young adults who were interested in fashion, those like us, who love fashion but maybe cannot afford those high end brands, so decided to create this trend report as a blog post. This was typed on my friends personal blog and officially posted.
Since we were working in a group we were all assigned jobs, mine was to look at the online promotion and branding of high end and high street shops, then to compare them for their similarities.   I could not believe how many similarities there were when comparing! It seems pretty obvious that shops, such as; TopShop and Zara are trying to appeal to those of us that love expensive brands but do not have the pockets deep enough to afford them. But you can read about that on our blog post.
I found this task enjoyable, I loved the group I worked in and found we were all on the same page, making it easy to communicate and express ideas.
I also was given a sketchbook tutorial by my tutor, which I was so nervous to receive but found extremely helpful! Sitting with my tutor one on one, she gave my sketchbook a good inspection. Both my strengths and weaknesses were listed, which I wrote down so I can work on. I was told my strengths were my presentation of images when it came to my initial research, and my designs based on my 3D work. Although I have to work on the composition of my models and my work in the 2D workshop - this is something I will definitely take on board for my next set of designs.

Link to our trend report - http://stylebyirum.blogspot.co.uk

Week 2

MONDAY

We were given the option to explore either fashion design or fashion promotion. I have always had an interest in the design approach to design compared to the promotional side, which is why I decided to pick design. By picking design the Monday consisted of firstly; folding a piece of brown paper into eight, then cutting out a random shape to then leave at the side of a dummy. We then had to move around three places and attach the pieces of paper to the dummy in whatever composition we see fit depending on the word or instruction given by our tutor, for example on one occasion we were told to only focus on the back of the dummy and it had to be something 'pretty'. Here are some of the results;

As well as trying this with shapes cut out by other people, we were also given time to make as many designs as possible with the shapes with had cut out ourselves. For this part of the task we were not given any words or instructions, we were simply left to create our own visions. 

The next part of the task, was to make 3D shapes out of the paper which we then had to make creations from by attaching them to the dummy. This was to give us the experience of working with 3D shapes and materials. I have to say, it took me awhile to get used to this technique. I had felt far more comfortable working with the 2D pieces of paper. However, I did eventually come to grips with the process and managed to make a number of creations, here are a few of them:

The third and final part to the task, was for us to cut out a strip of paper, as thin as we could make it, in any shape we wanted, the only rule being, the shape could not join together. It had to have two ends. With the stripes of paper we had cut out, we then had to pin a piece to the dummy, then pin the rest down depending on where the paper moved itself to. We were not allowed to manipulate the paper, and take it on a course which was forced, it had to be where the paper would naturally turn to. This was to act as almost a pencil line, in inspiring us to look at the outline of shapes and what we can take from that.

Our homework was to then, use these photos as inspiration and design a total of 30 outfits in our sketch books. That's 10 per task. I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed the 3D session. My strength is definitely more drawing than anything else, so I was much more looking forward to the 2D work, however I enjoyed my whole day and was really inspired to complete the homework.

WEDNESDAY

Since my group had worked on the 3D designs on Monday, Wednesday was our turn at the 2D designs. Our day consisted of firstly picking one of our own images as inspiration to draw out a total of 6 t-shirt designs. It was fair to say our first attempt was nothing short of a complete and utter fail, but we were then informed of the do's and don'ts, which led us all on to great success and improvement as the day progressed. 

We had to look at small but effective details on our own clothing and the clothing worn by other members of the class, in which we would then use as inspiration for sketches. I personally found this the most beneficial part of the whole day. When it comes to designing clothes based on inspiration i worry that sometimes I have always been too literal, or looking to far into it, when this process was carefully explained to me and the rest of the class it seemed so easy and straight forward, almost as if i wondered why this has ever been something I had struggled with before.

For the rest of the day we were shown a number of clothing items, from; jackets, to skirts, trousers, collars and coats, etc. which we then had to come up with 6 of our own designs again. I thought it was great that we were working so fast throughout the day, because our minds did not have time to rest. We were on the go for the whole day, our minds on a constant, it allowed us to produce one design after another. 

FRIDAY

On Friday I attended the London Fashion Week weekend. I was so excited, I have been obsessed with  fashion since I can remember but have never had the opportunity to go to Fashion Week, so to just be there and part of the atmosphere was such an incredible experience in itself. 

The whole point to the day was that we had no tickets, we did not know anyone there, but had to use our charm and social skills to get into any shows all talks we could and network. 

Worrying the day was going to be stressful and  a little pointless considering we had no tickets, I could not see us getting anywhere, but I was very wrong! My friend and I were approached by a member of staff and given tickets to a talk by make-up artist Ismaya Ffrench and photographer Miles Aldridge, which was very insightful and helpful! We also managed to be introduced to the marketing executive and director for Thomas Sabo, as well as buyers for House of Fraser, all of which had very helpful and inspiring tips for a designer starting out. I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to talk to them.

The whole day was an experience I will definitely remember! Considering we were going there with no connections or tickets, I was surprised how much we managed to achieve in such little time. All the conversations and talks were very helpful and beneficial, especially since I am new to this and can do with all the help I can get. However the most important thing I took away from this day, is how important it is to just ask. Just ask to talk to someone, or just ask for tickets to a show, or just ask for tickets for a talk and you will be surprised with the outcome. Many people in the fashion industry look scary and intimidating, but everyone knows you have to start somewhere, especially in fashion! keeping this in mind, they want to help you by giving you any advice or experience they can, they are more than willing to help. And if someone says no, oh well, just move on and ask the next.

Week 1

At 8.45, on Monday morning, we begun our journey as fashion foundation students at Ravensbourne. To make us feel more welcome, as well as to get to know those we would be spending the rest of the year with, our tutor organised an ice breaker game, which involved us asking one another some fairly personal questions, but luckily everyone was willing to give one hundred percent and we all had the opportunity to talk to people we had not spoken to yet. After that, it was  time to start working! We had all been asked to bring two photos in. These photos could mean something to us, or nothing at all, could be an image or quote, but could not be everything or anyone well known. Once everyone stuck their images to the wall, we then had to pick one, but it could not be our own. From this image we created a mind-map based on that image, surrounding it with words, places, phrases and questions. We were then asked to pick a second image. But this image had to be completely opposite to the first image we picked. And so the process started again. We were then told these two images would be the starting point of our first project. 

I was really looking forward to Wednesday , since we had an organised visit to the V&A. This visit was to provide us with possible research for our project. We all had to pay a visit to the 'What Is Luxury?' exhibition, which explores the ideas of luxury today and addresses how luxury is made and understood. Once we had since the exhibition we were given time to explore the rest of the V&A. This benefited my project greatly, since I would like to look at and focus on patterns in nature, and there were a number of displays that presented patterns, details and designs in nature, so I was able to take a lot of pictures which I could then use in my sketchbook. 

On Thursday, only a hand full of us took part in a life drawing class. Despite accidentally not booking a model for the class we made the most of the day, taking it in turns one by one to model for everyone, choosing a variety of poses and media to conduct our drawings. A life drawing session was definitely helpful for this course, considering we are fashion students we have to take into account peoples bodies, the variety of shapes and sizes, the way people move and therefore the best way clothes will fit them. 

Friday was used to create concept boards. We were given the morning to collect as many images as we needed and wanted, to then present on a concept board. We were informed concept boards are a page that tell the designers story. Fashion Designers mainly use a variety of photographs to get inspired to work on every line of new collection. Anything that sparks the designer's creativity process. These can vary according and imagination is a appropriate inspirational material. Once we had our images we were left to create our board, by placing the images on the table, NOT STICK THEM DOWN ON PAPER! This way we could experiment with out boards by moving the images around, as well as adding more, or taking away any. We then moved around, one, two, three places along to move other peoples concept boards around. I found it was very beneficial to see other peoples ideas and approaches to your project.

Overall I have extremely enjoyed my first week at Ravensbourne, Finding the work to be challenging,enjoyable and informative. I am very much looking forward to the weeks and year ahead of me.