Finalising colour

I was already aware of the colours that I wanted to use and the colours that I had been using throughout this unit, however I felt that it would be useful to finalise my colour selection and present it profesionally on a board format.

I feel that presenting the colours in blocks and using plenty of considered white space allows the colours to breathe and shows them all individually, but also how the react with each other.

 

Marina Hoermanseder

After considering my knitting more and more, I decided that it would be appropriate to begin looking at other designer's work in order to visually contextualise my own samples.

I was browzing website 'Dezeen' as I have found that it has many interesting articles and discovered a fashion designer that has explored garments being quite restrictive and have a protective appearance. Marina Hoermanseder showed her collection at Graduate Fashion Week back in July.

The image (left) combines the restrictive, orthopaedic themes that Hoermanseder has explored in this collection, with a more tactile and luxurious sections that create a hard vs soft vibe.
I felt like this was something that I really wanted to explore in my work, combining conventional knits with plastics and latex and I feel as though this collection summerises the general look that I am aspiring to.

I also think that the attention to smaller details is stunning. The construction of the leather has created a very framed and considered feel to the garments. The hole-punch detailing and hardware style fastenings work beautifully with the delicate ruffles of the undergarments.

I feel that attention to detail and refinement could lead to my samples looking considered and finished. I feel that now I have decided on the majority of my colours it would be the perfect time to consider smaller touches that would lend themselves well to the high end market that my garment ideas would be marketed towards.

I must consider things such as placement, refinement and experiment with these things in order to get the desired that will, in turn, transform the entire feel of my collection. I feel that looking at other artists and designers will help to inform this.

Tutorial

This week's tutorial was slightly worrying as Laura was unable to make it into work the previous week, leaving a two week gap between having any creative contact with a member of staff.

I guess it has shown me that I am able to work independently and that I do not need reassurance regularly. However by the time it did come to the tutorial, I was glad that I finally had a chance to share my progress and latest ideas with the group.

It was interesting to see where other members of the group had taken their projects since our last meeting. I felt quite happy presenting my work and felt that I had plenty to share since the last meeting.

Laura felt that it was best not to feed me too much and said it would be interesting to see where it would go next, but the group did recommend that I start looking at the softer, more luxurious side to my ideas in order to juxtapose against the structural fabrics I have created throug the knit and latex marriage.

WGSN - Emerging trend: Industrial Coatings.

"Heavy-duty coatings are an emerging trend for chunky knits and double jerseys, with tarred or emulsion coatings in various semi-matt to glossy finishes and placements adding a new visual tactility.

One of the most commercial directions is to use laminates in printed motifs, keeping some of the knitted ground visible for a play on hard and soft texture. Semi-cracked and peeling prints add dimension, as does polyurethane coatings on bouclé yarns and textured knit stitches. Black glossy or tarred coatings, clear or opaque plastisol effects, ceramic matt or cracked coatings and oxidised pewter and metallics with a dull sheen provide the most commercial updates."

I discovered an emerging trend on WGSN in the knitwear section of the product categories. I feel as though my work could automatically be linked to this upcoming trend, which made me feel as though my work really could fit within the industry.


Balenciaga A/W 13

Phoebe Brown '13

Fashion houses such as Balenciaga and Phoebe Brown have used processes such as metallic ribbing and starch spraying fabrics to give them an industrial, stiffer aesthetic and feel.

This links perfectly to my work with latex.




Rick Owens

This piece by Rick Owens is also really interesting. I like the organic way that the emulsion paint has cracked with the fabric and records the movement of the body. This could be something to explore within my knit and could be combined with the latex coatings that I have given some samples.


I also feel that the transparancy to my work is lending well to the industrial trend, giving it a sense of clinicalism that is balanced out by my soft colour palette of pale greens, greys, lilacs and purples.

Protective Knit?

I had initially started to create knit samples that related to my initial drawings and practical work. However, I did not feel that they were fulfilling my ideas of being protective.

Having worked with latex throughout the project, it made sense to try and coat a sample in latex, hoping that it would dry clear and retain the appearance of knitwear, but becoming waterproof and impermiable.

As you can tell through the photographs of my samples, the knitting has taken a different form and has become more sculptural as a material. I find the way in which all of the gaps in between the stitches of yarn have become enclosed with rubber really interesting and I am really pleased that it has turned out the way that I hoped.

The only thing that I am not as keen on is the yellow tone that the fabric has taken on. This is due to the natural properties of undyed liquid latex so perhaps it would be benefical for me to colour the latex (as before) or try and use it thinly to allow it to remain transparent and colourless.

 

The image (above) also shows the hole that had been created by using partial knit to be sealed up by latex, creating a window like effect. I feel as though this could be something that could be taken further within the project. I could perhaps introduce colour into the window sections of the samples.

 

 

 

 

Chunky latex yarn knitting.

The chunky latex yarn has been knitted using large pieces of dowel.

It was quite difficult to manoeuvre and manipulate but eventually I did produce a sample in garter stitch.

I think once it is knitted together, the sample allows the purples, greens and greys all to work and interact with each other.

Similarly, the texture of the yarn means that the sample is quite interesting on a visual and tactile level. I find the transparency quite interesting too, particularly where you get hints of colour and you can still see the knitted lycra through the latex.

Problem Solving.

After it became apparent that I could not e-wrap the strips into my knitting, I had to think of an alternative as quickly as possible, so as not to waste time.

I concluded that if the machine could not take the latex, then I would have to hand-knit with it instead.

I decided to knit a long length using elastic on the domestic, and then allow the latex to cover this length. I felt that the matte nature of the elastic would work well with the transparency and colours of the latex and in addition, the stretch might allow for some room to manipulate when hand knitting.

There some problem in finding a way to lay the latex out onto the yarn and allowing it to dry. When the sheeting was laid flat, the latex splurged out and wouldn't stay in place. I therefore created a channel using spare leaflets for the latex to sit within.
I then had to find somewhere to lay out the long length in order to apply the latex and allow it to dry.
 
The studio was the only option that I had in order to allow it to dry and even then it took much longer than anticipated and needed drying with a hair dryer.

I was, by this point stressed up to the eyeballs with it but I felt as though progress had been made by the time the yarn had dried and it was time to begin knitting my sample with it.

Even though 8 metres is a long length, in terms of knitting yarn, I feel it will not make a very large sample. This is a little disappointing, however logistical problems and time constraints mean that it is impractical for me to make a longer length in order to create a larger sample.