Initial concept

My initial concept looked at Westwood British routes, and what it means to be British

Looking back at history, at costume, artefacts and traditions.

What is quintessentially British?

Some words we discussed as a group were:

Uniform

Historical

Masculine

Royal

Afternoon tea

Patriotic

Tradition

Culture

Group work

Le Thi for Ann Demeulemeester.

Concept board based on hidden identity.

Henzah for Burberry

Concept board based on war and military uniform

Tiffany for Chloe

Concept board based on nature and texture

Chloe for Givenchy

Concept board based on dark beauty

Material girl

In order to understand fabrics and how to use them, we have been asked to identify what fabrics Westwood uses in her collections, focusing on one garment in particular. We are interested in particular in the way it is produced and its properties.

The garment I have chosen is from Westwood's gold label, made from an 'interesting' gold fabric...

Fibre content: 61% viscose, 27% polyester; 12% PM; Combo 1: 100% cotton.

Viscose - A mixture of both man-made and natural components.

Production: It is produced from wood cellulose acetate treated with caustic soda. Viscose can also be made into the more common form of rayon that is used for many types of textile products, including clothing.

Properties: Viscose rayon has a silky appearance and feel, and also has the ability to breathe in a manner similar to cotton weaves. One of the more popular properties of viscose rayon is that the fabric tends to drape very well. One of the disadvantages to textile products made with viscose rayon is that the items will wrinkle very easily

In the burning test, Viscose burns similarly to cotton. It ignites quickly with a large bright yellow flame. The odour smells like burnt paper, and the ash is light and feathery grey.

Polyester - A manufactured product made from synthesized polymers.

Production: To make polyester, ethylene glycol and dimethyl terephthalate are mixed together. The chemical reaction results in bisterephthalate. This substance is heated to 270° Fahrenheit (132° Celsius), where it reacts again to form polyethylene terephthalate. To make polyester fiber, an extruder is used to produce very fine threads of PET. The fibres can be knitted or woven; they are mostly knitted to maximize the flexibility of the fabric.

Properties: A strong and durable synthetic fabric. Polyester dries quickly and can be washable or dry clean only. It is not the easiest fabric to remove stains from, and doesn't breathe as well as other fabrics may.

Burns slowly and melts when burning. May melt and pull away from small flames without igniting. Melted area may drip off clothing carrying flames with it

Poly - Viscose blend: The thermal insulation and water-vapour resistance increase with the increase in polyester content. Polyester is often used as a blend with other fabrics to lend wrinkle resistance

PM - I don't have a clue what this is, and can't seem to find out either. I'm going to assume it's the surface treatment that gives the fabric the gold shimmer.

Westwood's fabric

Below is a snapshot from my Powerpoint presentation looking at the most commonly used fabrics in Westwood collections

Westwood has a massive interest in British-produced fabrics such as Harris tweed and tartans. She also uses quite a lot of patterned wool suiting for her tailored garments.

V&A - Fashion

I was hoping a visit to the V&A fashion section would inspire some ideas.

I want to look at historical clothing, especially tailoring, to inspire my collection.

I'm particularly interested in the seam lines and garment shapes as I find these details in historical clothing much more exciting than contemporary garments.

Just a few images from my visit:

Westwood dress

V&A - British galleries

Here are some images from my visit to the V&A British galleries.

From these i want to develop some imagery, possibly in the form of a print.

Royal school of the arts at the V&A

Graduates of the RSA MA course were showing their work at the V&A when i was there.

I was in awe of their work. Some of it was so amazing. Especially some of the material they used.

One designers work that i thought was quite relevant to my work was Siri Johansen for her pattern work. She looks at tradition fabric patterns like herringbone tweed, and plays with knit and print.

I found this image in the book 'British fashion designers' by Hywel Davies. Its a Westwood print that has been produced digitally from lace. I'm quite interested in working with print in this way.