Unit X Evaluation.

This project has been fun and inspiring, which is due to my use of experimental colour. I wanted to develop a colourful bright collection for a menswear audience, inspired by the concept ‘Unknown’ will has progressed from my original overarching concept ‘Time Deception’. Within this concept ‘Unknown’ I have looked at condensation on windows and frosted glass which creates an illusion of an unknown world behind.

Colour proportion has played a key role in this unit. I found that using a varied palette, of gold, green, red and navy blue has helped me push the boundaries of menswear due to the placement and proportions of colour. I have moved away from traditional menswear looking more at unique designers such as Rebel Yuths and Kenzo. These designers have pushed menswear through their use of colour and styling, in particular Rebel Yuths. This brand has adapted styling making it extreme and crazy, which has inspired me greatly to produce accessories which are oversized with various techniques to show off the colours. However when shooting my scarves I decided to style my scarves with a plainer outfit, consisting of navy and white with mustard socks to add colour at the bottom of the outfit. I think the scarves are the main interest and colour with in the look, so did not want to make the styling overly crazy.

The techniques I have used all showcase the colour and emphasize the proportions, which was the main focus of the unit. The tucking stitch, holding check and drop stitch all create different structures, focusing on contrasting structures and outlining these by using colour. The bright pops of inlay draw attention to certain parts of the fabrics and accessories and highlight the structures.

By creating a scarf it has allowed me to develop contrasting structures in conjunction to one another as no shaping was required. I think these two scarves have shown off my techniques and colours due to the volume of fabric. These scarves are a strong addition to my collection and will increase the versatility of my portfolio.  The strong contrasting colours with in each scarf is strengthened through the techniques used and have worked well.

My accessories will appeal to the high fashion menswear market, for Autumn Winter therefore wool is a major factor within the scarves. I have used various wools and cottons, which when combined with different techniques, such as drop stitch and holding check, create a lighter soft fabric which gives my scarves a luxurious feel.

For me this unit has helped me progress and become more confident when creating and designing larger samples and accessories.  Fashion illustrations have been a challenge throughout this unit, however, as I have continued to work on proportions of the body when designing, I have gained confidence. This key skill will help me in the future and is a personal achievement, as I have wanted to develop my illustration skills from the start of the year. This has expanded my portfolio when creating design boards to show my scarves.

I have explored my ideas using colour and I have developed my skills to a level I feel will help me to achieve a masters in knitted textiles.

Unit X Final Collection.

I found that whilst knitting and designing my scarves I made many key decisions. I decided my base colours for both my scarves would be navy, deep gold and green, and each scarf would feature a brighter colour of either red or light gold. This contrast of the two scarves works well as they now stand out from one another.

The length of the scarves was a challenge as I did not want them to end up being too short, so to overcome this I decided to make them 3 meters long, which would make them oversized and exaggerated.

The photoshoot was fun and interesting to see my accessories on the body. I styled my scarves with plainer clothing underneath so the scarves would be the main detail of the look. I decided to pair my scarves with a bomber jacket which had a fine polka dot print; this print added a slight contrast to the scarves which worked well as within my scarves there are contrasting structures.

I think the final outcome of these scarves has been successful as they show off my bright colour palette, and contrasting structures. This is due to my varied techniques of drop stitch, holding check, tuck stitch and mock rib. These techniques are effective at showing off the colour proportion. The final scarves are a reflection of my final collection and I am happy at how they hang on the body and can be styled to liven up outfits.

Unit X Development of Sampling.

I found my sketchbook helpful by using the patterns I have drawn and photographed, turning them into textured sampling. For this unit I am creating a range of fabrics for high fashion menswear.

As I have started to knit and create samples I found colour proportion difficult, so I started to research menswear high fashion brands that use colour. Youth rebels and Kenzo have bright colours that emphasise the technique and structures of the knitting. 
 

Kenzo

 

I found that the proportion of darker colours works well if it is larger than the brighter colours, this is something I am developing as I continue to knit. I have brought in larger proportions of navy blue and olive green which makes the lime greens and bright reds stand out more. These bright pops draw attention to the samples.

I am enjoying working with colour as the proportion and order of the colours is making my techniques more exaggerated and interesting.

The main techniques I have used in my sampling are tuck stitch, drop stitch, mock rib, inlay and racking. These techniques have contrasting structures, so when used in the same sample it distorts the knit creating tactile qualities.

The yarn quality is something I have wanted to improve on from the previous project. I decided to source various weights of yarns. The main yarn I am using on this project is wool, as my collection is Autumn Winter I didn't want lightweight sections of finer cotton. However, I have also sourced finer lambswool to add a softness to the contrasting cotton. I am using mercerised cotton as it adds a vivid brightness and lifts the duller cottons and wools.

I have started to develop my samples into accessory ideas. I want to have contrasting structures within my accessories so I have started illustrating different ways I could have two techniques in conjunction. I found that adding more structures to the patterns gives me a textured effect, which I think works well.

I feel a scarf would strengthen my collection as it would show my samples in repeat on a larger scale.

Unit X Initial Inspirtation.

Beginning Unit X I decided to continue with my overarching concept 'Time Deception', but for this unit I would like to look at ideas around the words 'Disguised' and 'Unknown'. For this unit I want to push my menswear collection, I am going to achieve this by experimenting with colour and colour proportion.

Throughout my last unit my colour palette was black and navy, I have decided to move this forward by having a strong, bold colour palette consisting of greens, reds and gold tones.

I want these colours to contrast with each other and challenge the perception of menswear. I want to push the boundaries of colour proportion; this will be a key idea for this collection.

My images of the condensation on the windows have been a key starting point to push my work. This bubble effect has inspired me to bring in different textures as I think the tactile feel will work well. 

I have decided to play with contrasting textures and structures. I have started to develop this by drawing contrasting shapes and patterns. I will develop this further when I start to sample and create knitted fabrics. 

Within this unit is am aiming to create an accessory to show how my fabrics would sit on the body and how the techniques would emphasise certain aspects of the male body.

Evaluation.

For me, the most significant learning which resulted from this Practice Unit was experimenting with texture. My main concept for this unit ‘Time Deception – Coded’ helped me push my sketchbook further than ever before. It allowed me to focus on texture and layered patterns showing my ideas. Within this concept I looked at circuit boards, Braille and Morse Code which all have tactile qualities and layered patterns which I found interesting. 

 

I feel I have demonstrated the ability to express my initial ideas through drawings and I have carried this through when sampling. Within this unit, I think my sketchbook and fabrics have a strong link and work well together. This is an achievement for me as I normally feel that my samples and sketchbook are disjointed and unrelated. Yarn research was a key focal point of my research, and as I wanted varied textures I had to find different contrasting yarns to create an unbalanced effect. My base yarns consisted of cottons and wools, bringing in hints of chenille, latex effect yarn and Lycra to gain my desired texture. 

Technique played a key role in this unit. I wanted to push the boundaries of each technique and I feel the Partial Knit on the Domestic machines really showed the chaotic texture I was looking for. I think I used this technique effectively and adapted it to create unique patterns and ideas. I found the fabrics I created using Partial Knit the most inspiring and I will push this further in Unit X and beyond. 

Within this unit, I started to create fashion drawings showing how I visualise my samples on the body. I have never drawn fashion illustrations before so I want to expand this work in Unit X and find my own style of drawing and expressing my ideas. 

When researching context I always focus on the texture and depth of the knitwear, this focus has pushed me to understand the style of knitwear I want to create. I want to develop textures and volume within a menswear context pushing the boundaries of what we see as traditional knitwear for men. To help develop my ideas I have looked at knitwear designers such as, Missoni and Craig Green. Missoni AW15 has pushed texture by adding coins and other metal objects to their fabric and this chaotic texture is fun and inspiring. Craig Green has pushed shaping and silhouettes adding trims on raw edges at the bottom of their fabric. These unique approaches have really inspired me to develop my fashion research looking at different ways I could manipulate the shaping of traditional silhouettes.

My first garment plays with this idea, however very subtly as I lengthened the body of a traditional jumper style creating an oversized effect. I also left the rib at the bottom of the jumper unlinked as this allows more room for manoeuvring and looks more unusual. By leaving my jumper sleeveless I can add in different textures underneath that will add to the styling. For Unit X I want to push this further and really look at silhouettes. 

 

I found the Live Briefs, The Bradford Project and Michael Kidner interesting as they have pushed me to expand my research and technique. They have inspired me to push my colours more and to use different machines to gain a contrast in structures. Using the finer gauge machines and bringing in a crazy colour palette has been a fun learning curve. 

Final Development.

As I continued to develop my samples I found that, for me, the most significant element was the extreme textures. I expanded this idea by exaggerating the technique Partial Knit. I feel this sample is one of my strongest out of the collection which is due to the volume and texture; I am trying to push the boundaries of menswear by having fun chaotic pieces paired with simpler fabrics. This sample is strongly inspired by my concept ‘Coded and Secrets’, as the texture and pattern hides the finer details, and the loose threads create extra depth.

 

This relevant technique inspired me to push its simplicity; I developed the technique by looping the knit to create patterns which reminded me of a cable knit effect. By using the black against the navy it made the technique more dominant. 
 

 

I wanted to expand my yarn research; I did this by using Lycra, as I have never used Lycra before as a base yarn. I used pockets to extend the full potential of the Lycra and I did this by stuffing the pockets, stretching the Lycra. This strain allowed the yarn which stuffed the pocket to come through adding details and colour. Within these samples the proportion of colour strengthens the piece as one colour is not overwhelming the rest of the fabric.

Another technique I used to create my collection was Inlay. This was a useful technique to add movement to the piece without overpowering it. I inlayed monofilament which had been spun into tube shaped cords, this yarn was very structured and added a subtle curve to the knit, relating back to my drawing as they have gentle linear qualities and slight natural curves. 

 

This knit in comparison to my Partial Knit samples is more delicate and considered. I feel this balance strengthens the collection and allows the viewer to enjoy the more chaotic pieces in comparison to the relaxed subtle pieces. 

For me this collection has a slight contrast of structure. Some pieces have strong structures and harsh lines where others have a softer feel but with more extreme textures. This works as a collection as it allows certain aspects to stand out and the more subtle details to be hidden relating to my concept ‘Coded and Secrets’. The finer details are there for only the wearer of the fabrics to notice, strengthening my concept. 

Garment Development and Construction.

For my Trims Project I started by looking at trims and silhouettes of traditional menswear garments. I went into different shops to gather primary research on trims, silhouettes and yarn choices; I found that higher end fashion brands had a larger percentage of wool, cotton and mohair. This has led me to create collections within my practice using only luxury yarns; wool, cotton and viscose. I found this project useful as it showed me what fashion brands are like in industry, and how to adapt my work to fit in and also to go beyond and push the boundaries of knitted menswear fashion.

Whilst gathering my primary research I found a particular knitted garment that used the Linker as a feature by having the chain stitched edge on the right side of the garment. I found it interesting how I could use traditional techniques and push them to add detailing on to garments.

For garment development in my main Practice Unit, I also carried out a body of research consisting of trims, silhouettes, and shaping. This research has helped me visualise my samples as actual garments. I have started to consider placement of techniques and proportions of yarns and colour, which has helped me greatly in understanding patterns and styles of knitwear, and has pushed me to start designing different garments.

I have researched different knitwear designers, such as Nicomede Talavera, he creates interesting pieces of knitwear pushing the boundaries of construction, his sleeves are not linked and flare out. Details like this are what interest me when researching menswear fashion. 


Nicomede Talavera

For my first garment, I created a jumper. I wanted a traditional style but more extreme. I decided for the main torso on the front and back I would bring in only slight detail. I added subtle lace holes in small sections to keep with the concept ‘Coded and Hidden’, also inlaying small areas bringing in slight shades of teal to lift the piece by adding colour.

The rib on the bottom of the jumper lengthens the piece making it an oversized silhouette as I want to style it with oversized t-shirt and really exaggerate that look. 

 

Initially working from the sample, which is half rib, and half pockets, this became the main detail on the set in sleeves which would add texture to the garment. However in hindsight the calculations to create this sort of sleeve proved difficult, as each technique made the fabric move in different ways, distorting the shape of the sleeve. So I decided after making one sleeve, with the techniques side by side, to have the rib on the bottom half of the sleeve and have the pockets on the upper half. This worked more successfully. 

When constructing the garment I decided to not incorporate the sleeves into the garment as the quality and visual impact of the sleeves would lessen the garment and not add anything.  I felt the quality of the sleeves were not to a high enough standard to incorporate in my garment, so in Unit X I will create a finer knitted piece to go underneath the jumper.

For future garments, I would like to work on the structures of the fabrics and I think the different structures work well in conjunction with one another as it affects the tensions and textures of the piece; this is something I have developed throughout this Practice Unit and will continue within Unit X.