calico toile..

I'll explain more when I have some time in Sydney but I went back to the calico prototype I started on Monday. I sewed two sides of calico together around the edges. It was a long process and there are still issues to do with fraying.

Materials matter...

Knowing how quickly this semester’s going, I feel like every day is important. At this stage I haven’t decided what is the best platform (catwalk/exhibition) for my work, so I’m aiming for this deadline to give me a chance at both.

“For the catwalk 6 outfits are required, therefore to even be considered for this you would need to present at least one resolved outfit or 3 finished prototypes at this semesters assessment.”

Last semester I didn’t have any final/resolved pieces so I have to crack down. I can’t keep ‘going’ this semester.

This week I’ve started to move the knit constructions onto the body. So far it’s just the basic ‘square’ knit I’ve used. My first experiment was with calico. As a material I didn’t think I could use it because it wasn’t holding its shape at all and it was fraying.

Instead I tried a thin foam sheet that I had in the cupboard. Cutting the pattern was much easier and it held it’s shape well.

I decided to do this in a larger scale and repeated the rows on a larger sheet of foam. I used it because it would be similar to neoprene. When I placed the structure on the body it was quite rigid and didn’t quite mold to the body as easily I thought it would. After being really excited by the prospects of the foam/neoprene I realised A LOT more thought would needed to be given to

a/material &

b/construction

The thickness of the foam was around .4mm, and this was enough to add another element to the structure I hadn’t considered. The rows were interlocking but they also didn’t ‘fit’ the way I had designed it on illustrator. I was designing for a flat 2d surface (paper/fabric), and even though this was .4mm, it was enough to effect the behavior of the structure. Neoprene is still something that I will continue to use, however it won’t be the only material I will use.

At the moment I’m opening up possibilities of woven materials again. I tend to rule out options really quickly, so I need to go back to the drawing board, have an open mind and test fabrics alongside knit structures. I've got a lot of variables in this project and I need to find a happy medium between material and structure.

cutting & pasting...

The past week I’ve been getting more and more worried about my communication. At the proposition I had the idea that I would make a website that was basically worked like a pdf file of my process. I’ve been thinking a bit more about it, and given the advantages and disadvantages of the internet I’m not totally convinced that putting my process out there sits right with me. I understand that’s a stupid thing to say given that I’m putting it all out there with this blog, but I guess I’m thinking about how much of the process I want to give out.

Onto the things that aren’t so confusing, well less so compared to communication. Illustrator has become my best friend lately. I’m using it to create my weft knit structures, and it’s made it easier to understand how the knit’s work. I can clearly see now how the purl stitch works in comparison to a stocking stitch, looking at drop stitches and even creating my own. I’m not sure how stable my constructions would be but it’s something I can keep developing. Illustrator makes it really simple to resize, cut, paste, rotate and duplicate the constructions. I’m constantly learning, trying to figure out why some shapes work and others don’t link up. I’ll have to start using fabric in the next week but at the moment I’m just getting used to creating and altering the knits.

Above- Illustrator diagram of weft knit

Above- Paper version of weft knit

after the crit..

Getting feedback on the crit was a good way to consolidate what I already knew.

-I’m creating new systems of design, building outcomes that I don’t know the outcome of. The process is important to me, but the outcome is also important. I may not be able to have an exact idea of it during the process but it will become clearer as I build the garment.

- I’m not clear of what is important to give the consumer. Do they really need to see just the process? They can’t wear the process, so why should they care as much about it?

-I thought my thesis was quite separate from my studio work but now I see that there is a big link. Here is a quote that I found quite interesting when researching my thesis topic.

“Cathy Horyn, the fashion critic for the New York Times, wrote in her review of the show, ‘All those scarred fabrics are essentially ornament; the underlying shapes don't change much, and they're not interesting. Indeed you wonder if they are bored or intimidated by the actual mechanics of design--cutting, setting a sleeve--and that what their clothes express isn't technical virtuosity but inarticulateness.’”

It made me think, if the Rodarte sisters had graduated from university, would Cathy Horan take this view on their work? Even if they were actually ‘bored’ or ‘intimidated’ by the mechanics of design, does it make their work any less important? Does a designer have to have learnt the basics of construction and design to then move on? A lot of people (including me) think that everything has been done in fashion, so why do we stick to methods that essentially give us the same outcomes? Shouldn’t we be really embracing a move away from what we know, so we can look for original designs? That critics view on Rodarte is certainly apart of a minority of critics of the label. I wouldn’t have learned what I learnt without going to university, and I don’t think I would have explored other possibilities of construction and design processes like the ones I am if I stayed in my TAFE course. I don’t think I would have questioned fashion.

Proposition

Abstract:

My time at RMIT has given me an appreciation of the complexity and craftsmanship that exists in construction of a garment. Early on, I didn’t dedicate enough time to explore the possibilities of textiles within my studio. Evolving my own design process has allowed me to include textiles as a basis for development. Last semester I experimented with knitwear to see how the construction of the fabric could be used to inform my design process. The outcome depended solely in the fabric and I essentially had to design around the fabric. This year I want to explore knit constructions and essentially use the fabrics as ‘patterns’, which can inform my process. Isolating knots, wales, courses and loops, I can ‘build’ garments as opposed to sketching them. This time the outcome will depend on a number of factors; the structure I choose, fabric and the size/shape of the loops. Complex structures that couldn’t be produced by hand knitting can instead be created with repeating loops. I understand I can’t have complete control over the reception of my work, but where I choose to position it will affect how it is received. Essentially I’m looking into alternative design systems, and this will need to be communicated in my work. There are connotations attached to commercial and conceptual fashion and I am still struggling to find where to position my work. Finding the balance between creating an image of the garment and representing the origins of its development is important to get right.

Aim:

I want to broaden the methods I use to develop, design and construct outcomes. It is essential to show the consumer the importance that I place in process, from concept to the body, which will be reflected in my communication methods. I also want to be able to define the relevance of work and decide where it can fit in the fashion system.

Methods & Approach:

Last semester I was intrigued by Brian Eno’s drive to imagine new concepts simply by questioning the simplest techniques and processes.

Trying to break away from the accepted way of working was both daunting and exiting. Creating an original process meant that there were no references that I could rely on to guide my process. Essentially I allowed myself to thoroughly investigate the materials I was working with before thinking about the relationship to the body or garment. I led myself to redefine what I believed to be ‘designing’. I want to continue with the methods I developed last year to question how I can create alternative systems to produce garments. This will result in a series of experiments that will lead me to analyse the results and use that knowledge to develop new experiments. Once enough information has been collated, I can then start to build garments on the body from structures and materials I have explored. Documenting this process is essential to my communication as the catalogue, website and ‘advertising’ image will reference this heavily.

Outcomes:

The nature of the design process I am using keeps me from knowing what the exact outcomes will result in. The experiments will slowly allow me to know what I can construct. A series of structures will develop from the experiments, which will then need to be translated to the body. My intention is to broaden the methods I use to produce outcomes for the body, which may result in a series of garments or just one that is culminates the techniques and constructions I have developed.

My focus over the next month or so is starting to create a successful communication framework that includes the ‘virtual’ world and the ‘physical’ world. Already I know a few areas of communication I will need to find collaborators for.

-A website gives me the power to direct the user through my process of design. My website might only use selected images of my process, like a PDF booklet, without any images of the outcome. Working alongside a photographer and web site designer would be critical for it’s effect.

-Producing a catalogue of my work last year was a really successful way for me to summarise my work and have complete control over the words and images used. It also allowed me to collate the semester’s work and summarise it.

-I think traditional advertising campaigns, when done right can capture the ideas of a brand or collection really well. What I’m really trying to capture is a single image that I can use to communicate my years work. Out of all this, if I can only use one image to represent my work what will it focus on? Design process or outcome? And can it do both?

As a designer I find process the most fascinating aspect of my work but I also enjoy collating and presenting it. I understand that not everyone is a designer and people want to see the finished outcome. This being my final year, I am very aware that you can’t design in the context of a classroom. There has to be a bigger picture. Put simply, People ignore design that ignores people. There needs to be a consumer at the end of the cycle and they need to be respected. They may not necessarily be buying the garments I have developed, but they will respond to my work simply by looking at it in a magazine, editorial, online, video or exhibition.

I’m not interested in fitting my work into the traditional fashion system or putting it in a position where others have the opportunity too. A runway has immediate connotations of fashion, and an exhibition has immediate connotations of art. The three areas of communication I want to express my work in can be controlled heavily by me. A traditional runway/exhibition may not offer that same control which is why I want to invest more time in contemplating the physical communication of my work. Jessica Bugg’s article in fashion practice journal was based on her PHD research on Fashion at the Interface: Designer-Wearer-Viewer, she noted:

‘ Fashion classification has increasingly focused on consumption and market level, as opposed to reflecting the designers intention, process and the context for which the work was designed. Clearly there is a growing divide between commercial and conceptual fashion and production and consumption models can be addressed in this light.’ Pg 30

I have begun to define the ‘consumption models’ I want to explore, but as I begin to define my work further, I hope this will give clues as to how to physically present my garments to the consumer.

Crit thinking...

Today was a BIIIIG day. I think I’ve had information overload and now my brain is biting back with a headache! I’m never nervous about speaking, it’s just that moment of silence that comes before the actual feedback. What was most important about the crit today was the confidence that the feedback gave me. I didn’t feel 100% about my direction simply because I felt as though knit was a complex area to step into, of which I had no experience. Taking a little side step to traditional ‘knitting’, has really opened up possibilities of structures I want to explore and construction methods. Most importantly I’ve got back the excitement for my work that I had last semester.

Stef’s question (if I’m looking into construction, will the execution be important?), was something that I hadn’t addressed yet simply because I hadn’t got to a point with my work where I have decided what my outcomes are. As the process is about construction I would like the execution of the ‘pieces’ I create to be shmick. Speaking in the afternoon class with Pia, she reminded me that it was still important not to come to any conclusions about my work. I may create a garment, but I could also create a ‘ball of yarn’ or piece of fabric. Like last semester, until I know these constructions and ‘collaborate’ with them I won’t know what I can produce. I don’t want to use the term intuitive, to describe my work because it can have connotations of unplanned and erratic methods. My process involves analysis and reflection with each experiment I undertake.

Something that has made me more conscious of my communication was Pia’s class. While her work was overwhelming, it forced me to ask more questions about my design process. When I was listening to the presentations today, it became clear to me how much people are pushing the boundaries of fashion. I’m pushing boundaries of construction and design process, but I’m not necessarily questioning the parameters of fashion. It’s not that I don’t ever do this, because my head is always filled with questions about fashion’s applications and relevance. Pia’s session just made me think more about where I sit in the big scheme of things. Where will the pieces I create in fourth year be in six months, one year, five years, twenty years, one hundred years? It’s a sobering thought and the answer is I really don’t know. After all, what is the importance of looking at design processes? Why should we waste time being creative when we can sketch a pretty good t-shirt and pants? That’s taking it pretty far but there is truth to the argument. Last semester the founder of 3fish came in to talk about how he saw a gap in the corporate wear market and created his own organic corporate wear company with a conscious. I would love to actually work with them one day because the company seemed to have a lot of integrity. It’s not to do with design, but it does make a difference.

Ohhh geee, I guess Pia’s talk just made me poke bigger holes in my communication proposal because I’m struggling to ;

a/ define my work

b/ decide where it sits

Going back to the Don’t Panic post, I’m still concerned about the bigger picture. What will I be doing when I get out of Uni? Where am I going to position myself within the industry?? This is a little scary, but you can never get to negative about things, so I’m hoping if I give it more thought the answers might come to me.

Building with loops...

In the last week I’ve forgotten about knit so much and I’m thinking more about structure. It’s allowed me to focus on developing my research without looking to find other influences or examples of knitwear. I found I have returned to my Triumph work that I submitted, and I realise it’s not as disconnected from my work than I thought.

The simple act of knitting was confusing for me. I knew how to knit, but I was really confused as to how the one continuous yarn/wire/chain was actually turning into a whole piece! It sounds stupid, but even when I was learning about the different weaves and knits in textiles, I could never work out the difference between wales, stitches or courses. Picking up needles and knitting didn’t help at all. So I’ve been in this slump because I couldn’t get past not knowing how the whole thing worked!

Knitting with the chunky yarn compared to the wire was really different. The wire created a flat piece and there was no stretch, which made the wool yarn seem like it was knitted with a different structure.

Above: A chain stitch formation.

The wire removed function of the knit. In the same way I took away the original function of the underwire in the Triumph piece and made it purely aesthetic. I looked into a similar process last semester where I was taking a knit fabric and changing its original purpose.

When we were dissecting the flowers in class I made this grid of flowers that were all connected (below). Ricarda asked me how I could use this as a pattern with knit and I pretty much came up with a blank. At that point I couldn’t see how it could, I was only thinking about the traditional ‘grid’ pattern for knits. As I have thought more about it I can see how the flowers were linking together just like stitches. That took me back to the list of words Winnie gave me, linking, loops, structure, making, constructing, creating…

I began to think about the construction of knitting and thought about each stitch like a brick in a building. The difference between the two is that the yarn is a continuous whereas the bricks are separate. Using the same kind of technique as I did in Triumph, I recreated the shape of each single loop. I had to look really closely at the shapes of the stiches to find out which overlapped where and what shape they created. Again, this was confusing so I started out with a simple crochet stitch (chain stitch) and with wire, which was easier to see what pattern the wire followed. I changed the shape of the loop five times before the links would line up successfully.

Above: Starting with a circle shape for the loop, the fourth experiment didn't link up properly, the fifth experiment which linked.

I seem to have a recurring need for repetition in my work, whether that be the process, or a shape or loop. I think there are a lot of possibilities for ‘building’ garments with this technique. What I couldn’t create with needles I can create with single loops. Specialty knits like tricot, interlock weft knit, rib weft knit, cable knits, pile knits etc. There is a whole range that I could explore as well as crochet and lace stitches which could lead to making my own links/loops.

Starting over

The Easter weekend was frustrating for me because I felt like I hadn’t really decided on what direction I wanted to take.

I decided it was best not to think about it at all which turned out to be a good thing because it gave me some distance from the work. On Saturday night I found myself able to define my frustrations that I had with my work.

-I was confusing research with googling.

When I presented my work to Winnie & Ricarda last week I had examples of my experiments to show and the rest was the work I had looked at in books and on the web of current knitwear designers. I love all the designers I researched but I was getting completely bogged down in their work. Last semester seemed to be much easier in comparison because the work I was doing didn’t have any exact references that I could research. It was hard at the beginning because I had no clue if it would lead anywhere, but in the end the result was satisfying. Knitwear is loaded with preconceived notions of craft and fashion and I’m finding this hard to forget about. Going back, in year 12 Drama I would chose my solo topic based on which had the most freedom to invent. This took away the dreaded research, but it also took away the temptation to copy. Which is why I found last semester refreshing, I wasn’t constantly referencing other work to justify mine, I was making it up as I went along. Ricarda made an interesting point last Tuesday. She noted that I may not even produce a knitted garment. This was really important to remember because I was thinking so far ahead that in some ways I had already made up my mind of what my work would be. So now I’m trying to focus on structure, not knit.

-Why did I want to use permanent materials?

Simply by using metals/chains in my work I am moving it out of the normal perimeters of fashion. They are not materials that are used in clothing for good reason; they aren’t easy to manipulate, they keep their own structure and they’re uncomfortable. By using these materials you are taking away the very characteristics and advantages of the knit fabric. You’re almost taking away the benefits of the structure, making the warp and weft redundant. Who would have thought this actually took me back to my Triumph work, but now that I think about it I was doing a similar thing there. Taking the functional (underwire) and making its purpose aesthetic.

-The conclusion

In the end I came up with this summary, which I think may get me back on track. I found that the areas I was working with had three different ways of producing structures.

1. The chains needed a body for the structure to be complete. In the image below you can see how when placed on the table it has no shape or structure. The knit looks like a tangled mess of chains. In the second image, the structure can be seen. It’s almost like something came out of nothing. Back to the jewelry tangent, I have a ring (with a chainmail structure) that when it sits in its box, has no shape or structure. Yet when I put it on my finger, it takes its shape, and each finger I put it on the shape will be slightly different.

2. Wire doesn’t need a body to create a structure. The wire I used in my experiments will only bend and curl due to the material, the structure doesn’t matter; it won’t ‘stretch‘ like a normal knit. Even if you had a garment made from the wire, the body would serve no purpose. Again, going back to triumph, the underwire’s created their own structure, they were no longer supporting the body, they were on top of it.

3. The wool yarn will stretch to fit the body. It was interesting to see Mark Fast’s dress hanging in the Endless Garment exhibition. It made you realise how important the body is to his work, because without it, the garment had no life or shape.

So this is where I’m at now. Working between these three oppositions and seeing where the three can cross over.