After Tuturial on Tuesday 6th Mrch

After my tutorial with Steffi on Tuesday, I made notes on what I had to do in order to progress my project. This included :

• •Research into fashion advertising, for ideas on how to portray my outfits in a fashion narrative?
• •Talk to Sam Chick and Jonathon Simms for advise on – lighting, make-up, hair, narrative, props etc….
• •Think about what makes the project my work?
• •Perhaps find more than just 1 model to pose for my clothing range.
• produce more than 1 outfit?

 

After my tutorial i began researching into different fashion advertising company that specialise in recycling clothing. I thought by looking at these designers, I could perhaps think of a narrative that I would like to portray through out my work? I also think the style that these designers portray could help develop my clothing, make-up and hair  ideas to create a more fashion based approach.

PROJECT EARTH DAY 2008: EGB Eco fashion event

by Abigail Doan, 04/27/08

Eco-fashion loving New Yorkers came out in droves last Thursday night for the annual Project Earth Day green runway show/fashion design competition. The turnout was more impressive than last year’s event, and the Teknion showroom was a teeming with Earth Week eco-chatter, the latest in fresh green style, and yummy organic treats and beverages. Slated as an eco take on Project Runway, this year’s designs and creations were impressively innovative as well as gorgeously tailored from the latest sustainable textiles and organic materials. According to journalists, it was thrilling to see the student designs light up the runway with the glow of their future-forward ideas as well as some real sustainable saviness already radiating from the next generation of young eco designers.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Project Earth Day Fashion Show is its unique interdisciplinary nature and the state-of-the-art green design collaboration across different industries. This annual NYC sustainable fashion event is put on by the Emerging Green Builders (EGB) NYC chapter within the USGBC (United States Green Building Council). Although it is organized by architects and interior designers, the public love that the event always features interesting up-and-coming designers, and can hold its own with any fashion industry event.

This variety of design influences was stunningly apparent in the  line-up of eco-luxe and wearable fashion designs for the designer runway. 

 

When the public first spotted New York designer Bahar Shahpar’s eco-friendly fashions last spring, they were instantly smitten with the playful colors, impeccable tailoring and smart-yet-sassy aesthetic . Last summer, Bahar’s iconic flower babydoll dress (shown below) could be found on just about every eco-chic girl in town, and the public predict another Bahar Shahpar craze will hit soon when the designer’s new fall collection hits stores in September.

London Fashion Week this year was filled with crazy colors and textures, quirkiness, fun and excitement. It also was delightfully glittered with compassion, humanity and pioneers in the sustainability movement. The LFW Exhibition at the Somerset House last month launched their eco fashion designer series for thetwelfth season in a row. The autumn/winter 2012 showcase – entitled Estethica – is sponsored by London based brand Monsoon and is founded by the British Fashion Council. Monsoon, who has been a loyal sponsor for the past five years, stated:

“Now in our 10th consecutive season, Monsoon is hugely proud to be continuing its sponsorship of Estethica. Sustainability has always been close to [our] heart with the use of handcrafting and natural fabrics integral to the Monsoon handwriting. As founding members of the Ethical Trading Initiative we feel it is vital to encourage and support the emerging talent in this field. We love working with Estethica as they share our values and embody all that Monsoon stands for.”

Monsoon, along with the 12 other designers, adhere to Estethica’s key principles of fair trade and ethical practice in the production process; the inclusion of organic fibers and the use of up-cycled and recycled fabrics and materials. Monsoon started in 1973 and with its inception also came the motto of L.O.V.E, which stands for “living our value and ethics.” The brand stands by this message with each new collection they put forth, using suppliers from the Far East with sustainability and culture in mind while putting people first in their design and infrastructure. Monsoon Accessorize was one of the original members involved in the set up of the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), and was named ‘leader’ for their adherence and efforts in the Initiative in 2010. Their collection this year is described by founder, Peter Simon, as:

“inspired by the traditional arts and crafts of Jaipur, India – the home of paisley and block printing. Neon touches add a modern twist to a classic collection that closely harks back to Monsoon’s heritage.”

 

In addition to Monsoon, there were other designer standout moments during the fashion exhibition. Situated in a new intimate space in the Courtyard Somerset House, the show radiated with innovation and new exciting collaborations. Dr. Noki worked closely with Kingston University students on creative landfills as well as a partnership with Central Saint Martins College of fashion to launch Reclaim To Wear. Dr. Noki, also known as JJ Hudson, is the superhero of eco-fashion and design, naming his signature piece to be

“The Noki-SOB (Suffocation Of Branding) mask.”

A clip of Lady gaga wearing DR Noki`s designs.

 

Another designer is Henrietta Ludgate. Henrietta Ludgate showcased her magically elegant AW12 line at this years Estethica.  Henrietta got her beginnings as a costume designer, working with the likes of Channel 4 and BBC on styling projects. At her first London Fashion Week her SS 2010 collection she was awarded the EFF ‘Fashion Innovation Award`, her focus always being on heritage textiles, quality and craftsmanship. Ludgate describes the inspiration for her newest collection to be,

  

Henrietta Ludgate and model. Source: UK in Italy on flickr.com

“Dark fairytales told on cold winter nights, the glittering rock, called mica that sparkles on the loch floor and Shetland ponies.”

Ludgate’s dislike for unnecessary waste led her to create and manufacture her designs within the UK, keeping the luxurious nature of her brand while practicing sustainability. This year she hopes to turn her recently opened concept store – Henrietta Ludgate’s Work-shop – into a shared creative space for artists and craftspeople. Once again, Ludgate is committed to keeping resources local and unified while building the “couture house of the future”.

Sri Lankan born Charini Suriyage has made a mark for herself in the ethical fashion arena, with her brand ‘Charini’. This being her second year at Estethica, she showcased her luxurious eco-lingerie collection, timeless designs with a contemporary twist, only to be described as dripping with sensuality and opulence. Charini refrains from using elastics, plastics, harmful dying and metal as a sustainable practice in her eco-collection. Designed for the sophisticated woman, her collection celebrates reviving the lost heritage crafts of Sri Lanka, which she incorporates in her creations, and supports these craftsmen in maintaining sustainable livelihoods. She mentioned in a recent interview,

 

“The well-being of the people is as important as the well-being of the environment. As much as we want to support the wider community with their livelihoods we also want to make sure that the consumer’s well being is also taken care of. Lingerie is the first thing that we put next to our skins. Therefore it’s very important that these garments are made out of materials that are non -toxic to the body.”

 

VANCOUVER EVENT: Vancouver Eco-Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2011

 

When reading about eco fashion Vancouver I learnt,  Eco-Fashion Week are hoping to promote environmentally conscious trends in fashion and to applaud and support national and international designers, manufacturers and retailers who are shaping these trends.

Second, to provide opportunities for consumer education about environmentally sustainable practices in the fashion industry, explain the global and personal benefits of adopting these practices, and demonstrate ways in which individuals can make conscious changes in their wardrobe choices and reduce their environmental impact of “waste couture” on our planet.

And third, to generate direct economic benefits for the region and environmentally friendly businesses in the fashion industry. With this mandate, EFW will establish Vancouver as a world-wide destination for environmentally friendly fashion and couture, and strengthen its image as a green, progressive, and trend-setting city.

The print screens above show some of the clips i watched from ECO Fashion week 2011.

London fashion week

This picture above represents the Central Saint Martins MA show, which proved to be an outstanding spectacle, which could only be expected from the graduates of such a prestigious school. Luke Brooks, Chloe award winner and one of tonight's joint winners presented us with a captivating collection that spelt out punk rebellion mixed with artistic expression. 

 

When reading this article,  it was interesting to know that Anne Thorbjornsen, recipient of the Armani Bursary, presented the public with flowing draped pieces with kaleidoscopic embellishments made in wood cut outs. Pinned and tucked to create unusal shapes, the clothing was loose and soft, made more fierce by wooden spear constructions used to decorate, giving us the modern warrior. Mei Lim-Cooper, recipient of L'Oreal Bursary, gave us unusual knitwear looks that appeared dismantled; old shapes taken apart to make way for the new. Layered over one another in various colours and distorted shapes the pieces resembled heavy chain mail, a ready for battle look but with a feminine edge thanks to the cream colours used and unusual forms created in order to wrap the knits around the female body.

 

The designer, Yong Kyun Shin gave the public a robot-esque look, using an assortment of materials and textures such as wire springs and complex ruching to create this sculptured collection that saw models wearing heavily pleated items in dark greys and blacks combined with thick velvets and exaggerated shoulders for added structure. Kenji Kawasumi focused on menswear designs for AW12 presenting box shaped jackets alongside cropped trousers in an unusual polystyrene coated knit. An example of next age fabric finishes, the designer provided foam trousers and oversized jumpers in what looked like recycled materials, emphasising the importance of the Eco message.

 

Estefania Cortes Harker's collection was all about the glitter. The Pringle Award winner showed his collection of slit skirts, boxy shirts and elaborate dresses in an array of glitter fabrics ranging from blue, pink, gold and silver. Art deco, abstract cut outs hung off the front of the dresses which boasted peep hole laser cut outs around the necklines too. Plastic fantastic and artistic craftsmanship are the best ways to sum up Helen Lawrence's AW12 show, as the Central Saint Martins MA graduate gave us abstract, asymmetric dresses and tops made up of patchwork felt panels fused together with what at first appeared to be rough visible stitching but after a closer look turned out to be zigzag streams of plastic black glue, giving a graphic doodle-like effect to this unique collection. Under these surreal constellations of patchwork, models donned transparent plastic culottes, bolted together with brass pins, adding a futuristic feel to Lawrence's already distinguished collection.

 

The designer Yifang Wan,  showed his simple collection inspired by the East, with kimono style garments fastened with large wooden belts instead of sashes accentuating the waist and giving a surreal 3-D perspective of the clothing. Elegant and simple, garments included wide billowing trousers and heavy cape-like overgarments with deep slits to reveal the tailored pieces underneath. Yulia Kondranina used boning and wired structures as foundations for her tassel-fest collection. Tiered hoops were looped around the bust, waist and hips to support the tasselled drapery, which was even attached to hooded pieces to create veils that obscured the model's face. All pieces appeared in either black and white creating stark contrasts of the dark and the serene in this inspiring show. Sculptural and feminine, Yulia used wire supports even around trouser legs to create beautiful twists of tassels that snake around the female body.

He started his career as a stylist in the late 90’s, working with MTV, ID magazine, and now famed creative director and designer Nicola Formichetti. He is the John Wayne of the eco-fashion and up-cycling movement with the axiom ‘rejection breeds re-invention’; he does what he wants and, luckily for society, what he wants is “an exclusive garment that compliments the raw energy that defines ‘street style’ and all of what we see in the designer collections”, but carefully utilizing the ‘sustainable canvas’ as a positive way forward using ‘New World Textiles`.