Final Major Project- Proposal

My FMP is based around my visit to Sierra Leone, Africa. This Christmas I went for 2 weeks to volunteer which was based around helping the poor there. I have decided to base my project on what life is like out there and bring it into a fashion context. Sierra Leone is a ‘people environment’ and the housing conditions there are really bad. The ways of living are poor and dangerous.

The Good points around Sierra Leone are nature and the natural environment; it’s beautiful scenery to look at, the Coastlines, the beaches at sunrise and sunset are extraordinary. The Palm trees are just stunning to look at, I like their textures, scale and silhouettes. The weather conditions there mean that it is always warm. The Religion there in Sierra Leone is mixed. People are really friendly, always interested in what you are doing and very welcoming, generous with their time.

The Bad points about Sierra Leone are: the traffic is manic, always busy, not just at times people are going out to work. The people living in mud floor huts, with whole families living in one room. The children are sick, ill and dying of malaria, I found it emotionally upsetting. The Evenings are dangerous, muggings and robberies can take place, mostly in Freetown - Waterloo. The young people are affected by the civil war, which finished in 2002.

I visited an orphanage, a drug rehab centre, polio centre, hospitals and schools. The main form of transport was the Poda Poda, which is a mini van that would normally carry 6 people, but I have seen at times 20 to 30 people crammed into the seats and on top of the roof.

I would like to design a garment based around my experiences and then go onto manufacture the final designs and also do some prints. I know that I want it to be women’s wear and that it will be for broad, midrange audience. At the moment I am making drawings from my primary research, photographs of Freetown – Waterloo. I am looking at the qualities of line, texture and colours. The possesses I would like to explore are layering, erosion, using found objects and fabrics, recycling and up cycling. Some of the materials I have seen used to make buildings, shelters, clothing and baggage are plastics, tarpaulins, canvas, cotton / calico synthetics and nylon rope. I like the physical qualities of these materials and maybe use them as research and development.