MEADHEM KIRCHOFF AND LOUISE GRAY

                                                MEADHEM KIRCHOFF

Meadham kirchoff 's autumn /winter 2010 was just beautiful and breathtaking to begin with. The collection had lot of bright magenta pink and intense red palette down the runway. The duo who are genius when it comes to fabric manipulation and are known to use bright coloured materials like chiffon and silk for instance. I loved how they used old french heritage as an influence. They also used lot of lace materials to create fringe which added feminine and romantic mood to their collection. 

          For this sample i used unconventional materials like yellow lace and multi coloured pop-pons over the pink chiffon fabric hugely inspired by their a/w 2010 collection. At first i was quite apprehensive about using pom-poms and laces as i didn't know if it will work together but to my surprise it actually look quite good and i liked the idea of not knowing what to expect as the result might turn out something unique. 

                                                      

                                                      

                                                           

                                                                                    LOUISE GRAY

                                                            

If there's one person you're going to test when it comes to putting multiple prints, pattern, appliqué, foiling , colour and collage together to make something oddly wearable its Louise Gray. Some people thinks her designs are crazy and unconventional but i love her brave  new approach to fashion and it fits the bill with her own signature look with heavy glittery eye make -up and wacky hair style.

Below i made my own version of collage sample . I stitched cut out piece from my screen printed sample and decorative beaded lace over the net fabric inspired bygone of louise Gray's designs . Her work influenced me hugely regarding experimenting with deeper techniques like pigment foils and fabric layering.

                                           

FABRIC EMBELLISHMENT

     Today we got introduced with my favourite technique which is of course Fabric Embellishment. To kick-start off with , I had a go with few simple stitches like satin , crouching and smocking. I enjoy doing hand embroidery stitches as I find really therapeutic and it shows my hand skill techniques. I have always been fascinated with textiles and even back then in school I was more drawn to creative subjects like Arts and Textiles which appealed to me more than other academic subjects .    

I wanted to create more samples hence i began exploring further for new concepts. I tried stitches i wasn't familiar with like herringbone and insertion stitch for example were you join two pieces of materials to create an decorative open work seam or hem. I also learnt Insertion stitch is also known as faggoting stitch which sounds bit strange. I found this stitch technique quite difficult to start with at the beginning because i couldn't  get the knots on edges on a perfect line and due to that i got frustrated but i didn't let my frustration get in a way . I suppose practise makes perfect in a way .

                                                 STITCH  SAMPLES

Here are some of the samples i  have experimented with recently .  I used unconventional materials together for experiment . Charlie also made it clear that our theme should be based on contemporary heritage so i used lot of laces, unwanted jewellery and beads to begin with . I was actually inspired by the lace costumes from the 18th century court fashion from the V & A museum i mentioned previously. I also used materials like ribbons,buttons,yarns,net or anything i could find really.I used my screen- printed samples i produced in earlier sessions for embellishments . I had a go with techniques like flocking and foiling  too . I also had a go with french knot stitch on one of my screen -printed samples shown below.  

   So far i must say i am really pleased with my development and i can see the enhancement  on my samples. The colours i used seems to worked together and they are beginning to look really colourful and exciting however i still feel though i have lot to learn and understand more about colour exploration which i am still new to. 

                                                 PLEATING SAMPLES

                                  HERINGBONE & INSERTION STITCH SAMPLES

                                 



                              SCREEN-PRINTED EMBLISHED SAMPLES 

Fabric Manipulation

INSPIRATIONS

Since the visit from F. Ciment Pleaters i already guessed what our next session will be. Fabric manipulation is an exciting technique were we can explore with fabric layering using different methods  to create 3d structures, big volumes and texturues . Today we worked with variety of materials from the studio to experiment with fabric manipulation. I produced range of samples using different techniques like pleating and fabric distortion for idea development. I used materials like laces, ribbons and buttons to make it look decorative. I used images i found from Pinterest as an inspiration. I also saw the work of Victor & Rolf and loved how they created larger than life garments with big volume collars which weren't like ordinary collars but more like an art piece. Their work inspired me to develop my skills further. I also had a go with one interesting technique were i used buttons and unwanted rags underneath the stretchy jersey fabric and basically tied them in loops to create bubble like textures which so much fun to make.

VICTOR & ROLF

 SAMPLES

F.Ciment Pleating company

 Today a company called F.ciment Pleaters who are a long running family business since 1929 came to our university to talk to us about the business. Truthfully speaking I am not really a huge fan of pleats but I do admire their dedication and hard work they put to create these amazing 3d inspired patterns. It was quite fascinating to watch  how a piece of fabric can be moulded & transformed using heat process to create unique patterns, textures and volumes.
    Most of the materials they used were polyesters as they are considered to be durable due to its stretchy fabric and they can also be washed at a low temperature and still manages to hold a pleat. Other fabrics like organza,leather and silk are used too. They also used non-conventional materials like laminated plastic and card-boards. Some of the pleats were done by hand which was hard to believe but according to the man, it took between 50 to 60 hours to make. It was interesting to know that they specialise their work on London fashion week , theatre, films &  for celebrities like lady gaga to Kylie Minogue and hit tv programmes like dancing on ice . 

DEVELOPING SAMPLES

These samples were produced during will's fashion and textile session on friday. I enjoyed experimenting with various techniques and pigment foils happens to be one of my favourite techniques which it adds shines and mirror like reflect patterns. I also enjoyed exploring with new techniques like clear and colour discharge shown above. I am considering having a go with one of these techniques  to experiment with colour and pattern. I also had a go with pigment flock which created unusual velvet texture. This session has helped me develop with my creative fields I thought I did not had. It also made me aware of how to specialise techniques differently. 

Colour Mixing

Today was first day at the work-shop were we experimented with colour mixing and screen-printing technique which I was already familiar with before . I consider this technique as one of my favourite which allows me to enhance my print patterns using different methods. I hate colour mixing part though as i can never get the exact colour accurately. All my morning session ended with mixing colours.  In the afternoon we got cracking with screen printing using stencils. I created repetitive circle patterns and i than cut the stencils carefully using stencil knives. I used screen-board and placed my stencils on top of the material and began creating lots of print samples. I used materials like sugar papers to plain poly- cotton for different texture experiment. I also discovered a new method were i used different paints all at once and slowly sliding the squeeze to create beautiful print patterns. Today the  screen printing experience was fun and exciting . I worked with colours i thought would never work together but i liked the idea of not knowing what to expect from it as the result may come out differently than you imagined.