Proposal Presentaion Notes

Slide 1 - Introduction

Slide 2 - 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 to Sierra Leone are the natural environment; its 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.

Slide 3 - Image 1 - Here is an image of a shanty town – Textured, layers of rusty metal – dirty, solid earth pathways – UN hygienic water in the river – busy – chaotic – no space – cramped

Slide 4 -Image 2  the beach – The opposite – calm and peaceful – a tranquil sea - sand is clean – lots of open space.

Slide 5-Image 3 The Market - The produce is fresh – it is busy but organised – I like the colours, this is where my colour palette is from.

Slide 6 - Vivienne Westwood has been involved in an ethical fashion program. The program was to support over 7,000 women to improve their lives. The program helped some of the poorest people in the world and helped them get jobs. It helped children attend school. It pays for medical expenses. It ensures other basic need. All the people involved in Vivienne Westwood’s Ethical Fashion Africa collection have learnt new skills. The aim is that many will start their own companies and train the next generation of skilled workers, raising the standard of living in one of the world’s most fragile economies. She used some of them as models for her fall campaign.

Slide 7 - Her is the work of Michael Beutler the theme was called 80° Yoga. He is related to my FMP in that I am looking at shanty towns and the African environment. He creates architecturally inspired pieces which are linked to shelter like the shanty towns. The pieces he uses are colorful and remind me of patchwork which reflect my photographs. The layering he uses is also shown in my primary research.

First he builds a wooden frame work on which he layers different coloured fabric. The fabric looks stretched tight over the frame but raw at the edges – unfinished. While the fabric is brightly coloured it has a weathered washed out and faded feel. This is not covered with one large piece of cloth but lots of different sized pieces – a collage or patchwork of scraps of fabric found. When I look at the piece if gives me a feeling of shelter – it might be protect from weather like rain – but from something like a hurricane it is too unstable. I think it has a shanty-town look to it.

Slide 8 - This is artist called Do-Ho-Shu. His works are his pieces about transporting spaces. In He had homes and architectural spaces sewed out of transparent material that was able to transport easily from place to place.

He likes exploring the universal value of his own personal space. I have used Do Ho Shu as he has been inspired by architecture and I like how he uses fabric to become shelters. This is a similar style that I will uses using into fashion bringing them both together.

Slide 9 - Hussein Chalayan is a designer that looks at architecture and incorporates it into fashion. Again he is looking at 2D/3D and the use of layering links with other research I have shown here.

Quote - “Hussein Chalayan’s clothes are minimal in look but maximal in thought; his fascination with architecture, spatial dynamics, urban identity and aerodynamics are expresses in garments based on concepts, architectural systems and theories of the body.”

Slide 10 - This is a collection by Harold Kensington- Autumn 2011 collection. What I like about this collection that designs are tailored and meant to be loosely fitted, he is inspired by the depression of the 1940s (baggy, outsized, second hand clothing) mixed with African stripes and layers.

I like this mix of loose and fitted – I like the way the silhouette comes off the shoulders and out until it comes back at the ankles.I like the layering, the different textures created by the boiled wool, cotton and leather. The colours are bright and vibrant the remind me of the colours I found in the market.
I will be developing some design ideas in a similar way.

Quote “My style is informed by oversized fit translated into refined wearable womenswear; delivering a quality assured/luxury collection amidst the exploration of new surfaces, fit and creativity.”

Slide 11 - 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 processes 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.

Slide 12 - At this moment in time I haven't decided on what to do for my final garment and how I will present it. I have a couple of ideas on what to do. One of my ideas is to have a on piece garment with lots of layering, patchwork and print, dyeing and embroidery which will resemble my images and research. The other is having screen prints or digital print of my own photography will be experimenting with lots of different textile techniques and processes.

I have a couple of ideas for my exhibition space, one of them is to have prints of my own as hangings from the wall or the dealing. Also my one price garment to go with it. If I decide not to do a garment I may just have different prints and wall hanging.